The Las Vegas Raiders and free-agent cornerback Eli Apple were unable to finalize a contract, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Apple, who played last season with the New Orleans Saints, remains a free agent.

Apple had agreed to a one-year contract with the Raiders on March 18, sources told Schefter, and he had posted to Instagram that he was "excited to start a new journey as a Raider."

Apple, 24, has shown both great potential and inconsistency while starting 51 games over his four-year career with the New York Giants and Saints. He has three interceptions and 33 passes defensed.

He immediately became a starter for the Saints, who acquired him in a 2018 trade with the Giants, and held the job throughout 2019 until his season ended early because of a Week 16 ankle injury. His size and length make him an asset in man coverage, and he helped steady the Saints' defense as the team finished 13-3 in both 2018 and 2019.

He was a positive locker room fit in New Orleans, where he reunited with former Ohio State teammates such as cornerback Marshon Lattimore, safety Vonn Bell and receiver Michael Thomas. But he did battle inconsistency on the field -- particularly in a 48-46 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in December -- and he led the team with 11 called penalties in 2019 and 10 called penalties in 2018 (after joining the team in Week 8). He was flagged 11 times for pass interference over that span.

Information from ESPN's Mike Triplett was used in this report.