Giants cornerback Eli Apple had a rough second season on the field and off of it, culminating in a Week 17 suspension for conduct detrimental to the team that came just after safety Landon Collins called his teammate a “cancer.”
Given the repeated friction with the team over the course of the season, there has been speculation about the Giants moving on from their 2016 first-round pick this offseason. Apple met with new General Manager Dave Gettleman this week, however, and Gettleman said that Apple will get a fresh start with the new regime.
“It went fine. We talked,” Gettleman said, via Steve Serby of the New York Post. “He was very attentive. He was focused. He couldn’t be at Monday’s team meeting, so I went through the points that I made to the team with him. … Time will tell. I told him he’s got a clean slate for me. Let’s move forward, let’s see what happens.”
There would be a bigger salary cap hit associated with releasing Apple than there would be if the Giants traded him, but it seems neither will be happening anytime soon unless Apple forces the team’s hand one way or the other.