New Orleans acquired cornerback Eli Apple from the Giants for…
New Orleans acquired cornerback Eli Apple from the Giants for a 2019 fourth-round pick and a 2020 seventh-round pick. Apple became a starter immediately and remained in the lineup through the 2019 season, including the Saints' 2018 run to the NFC Championship Game. The Giants gained reasonable draft capital, but New Orleans received more direct on-field value from the exchange.
New Orleans Saints Received
- player Eli Apple
New York Giants Received
- pick 2019 4th round pick (132nd overall, subsequently traded; Ugo Amadi selected)
- pick 2020 7th round pick (238th overall, T.J. Brunson )
Trade Analysis
The Deal
The Giants were 1-6 and looking toward the future when they moved Eli Apple, the No. 10 pick in the 2016 draft, to New Orleans on October 23, 2018. The Saints paid a 2019 fourth-round choice and a 2020 seventh-round choice, a meaningful but manageable price for a starting-caliber corner during a championship push.
Why New Orleans Made It
The Saints needed help opposite Marshon Lattimore and wanted an immediate contributor rather than future picks. Apple stepped into the lineup during a season that ended in the NFC Championship Game. He remained a regular starter in 2019 as well. The fit was not flawless, but New Orleans bought real snaps at a premium position during Drew Brees' late-career contention window.
What New York Received
For the Giants, the trade was also defensible. Apple had not developed into the foundational corner expected of a top-10 pick, and New York converted him into two draft assets rather than carrying the relationship forward. The fourth-round choice at No. 132 was subsequently moved, while the seventh-rounder became linebacker T.J. Brunson. Neither branch of the return became a cornerstone for the Giants.
Value Over Time
This was not a blockbuster where one side was embarrassed. New York appropriately reset an underperforming investment, while New Orleans paid a mid-round and late-round pick for immediate secondary help. The difference is that Apple's Saints tenure supplied the clearest direct football value from the assets exchanged.
Final Verdict
New Orleans earns a B- for getting useful starting cornerback play during consecutive playoff seasons. New York gets a C+ for sensible asset recovery that never developed into comparable on-field impact.
Eli Apple became an immediate New Orleans starter through the 2019 season, while the Giants' returned draft assets did not create an equally impactful direct on-field contribution for New York.