Eli Apple made himself a villain for Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs with his incessant trash talk throughout the 2021-22 season, particularly in the playoffs. While Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, the impetus for Apple's constant shots at the Chiefs, are no longer in Kansas City, fans haven't forgotten and have no love for the veteran cornerback. And they're surely delighting in the latest news with Apple and the San Francisco 49ers.
Apple was released by the 49ers on Thursday, before the cornerback even had a chance to play in a preseason game with San Francisco.
The #49ers cut CB Eli Apple. pic.twitter.com/0w1RJP7rLx
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 7, 2025
At this point, though, this is really just a victory lap for the Chiefs and their fans because they already got the last laugh over Apple. However, as far as dancing on the grave of an enemy goes, Reid's team and the fan base are certainly welcome to delight in the demise of a player who was relentlessly obnoxious in his hate for Kansas City.
Chiefs get another last laugh with hated villain Eli Apple
Apple's beef with the Chiefs began in the 2022 playoffs when he taunted Hill and Hardman, calling the former a baby, after his then-team, the Cincinnati Bengals, upended Kansas City to punch a ticket to Super Bowl LVI. He furthered that by roasting the Chiefs receivers, offering them tickets to come watch him and the Bengals play in the Super Bowl, an eventual loss for Cincy to the Rams.
The following year, however, the Chiefs were able to flip the script and weren't shy about taking shots at Apple in the process. Whether it was Brittany Mahomes or former safety Juan Thornhill, they all took their opportunity to taunt the cornerback, reigniting his previous taunt of the Bills with "Cancun on 3" posts and even smoking a victory cigar in his honor after Kansas City knocked off Apple and the Bengals in the 2023 AFC Championship Game, 23-20.
That ended up being Apple's final season with the Bengals and, with this latest release from the 49ers, it might also be trending toward his last meaningful moment in the NFL as well, another thing for Chiefs fans to take pleasure in.
Eli Apple might be on his last NFL legs after 49ers release
Apple joined the Miami Dolphins for the 2023 season, but played in only 10 games and was less than stellar, despite having an interception to his credit in South Beach. Miami wasn't a long-term stop, though, and he ended up playing four games and only 47 snaps for the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 season.
Considering that the 49ers didn't even wait to see him on the field in the preseason, though, it's becoming clear that the 29-year-old isn't the player he once was and that the trash-talking antics aren't being backed up at this point his career.
Maybe that's a lesson for players who are thinking about disparaging the Chiefs, even as part of a rivalry. Being a villain to Kansas City might not work out well for you in the long run, a lesson that Apple is learning the hard way right now.