The Saints traded for cornerback Eli Apple midway through last season in an attempt to give a boost to on of the NFL’s worst passing defenses. All that gets talked about is the loss of the fourth round pick it took to make the trade with the New York Giants.
But the Saints also had to assume Eli Apples’s contract. And it wasn’t a rookie contract either. The deal is this, first round draft picks have a fifth-year option, non negotiable., built into their rookie contract. After four years a team can exercise the option or not and lock him down for another year should they choose to.