Eli Apple is headed back to the Bengals in 2022.
Cincinnati announced Saturday that it has re-signed the starting cornerback to a one-year contract. Apple will now be back with the Bengals as they seek to defend their AFC Championship next season.
Apple, 26, was a pivotal piece of Cincinnati’s secondary during the team’s run in 2021. In his first season with the franchise, he tallied 35 tackles, eight passes defensed and two interceptions in 16 regular season games and 15 starts.
Despite his strong play, Apple became the target of ridicule from players around the league in the playoffs. The cornerback dished out a fair amount of trash talk during the postseason and opposing wide receivers were more than happy to repay the favor when he gave up the winning touchdown to Cooper Kupp in Super Bowl LVI.
A former first-round pick in 2016, Apple has also burned bridges in the past with the fanbases of his former franchises. In January, Apple said he hated Giants and Saints fans—two fan bases of his former teams—and traded jabs with them on Twitter.
However, it seems like the city of Cincinnati embraced Apple in 2021. The veteran cornerback will now return to the Bengals and do his best to help the team back to the Super Bowl next season.
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