Five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib is done jostling with receivers.
The former All-Pro announced his retirement after 12 NFL seasons. Talib will start a "multi-platform podcast" titled Call to the Booth as he moves into a media role.
The talkative, tough defender retired in classic Talib fashion. Amid saying his goodbyes via a social media video, the 34-year-old said he was asked by Bill Belichick to return for one more season to help cover tight ends.
Talib said while he would have liked another payday, the more he considered covering the likes of George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, etc. on the Pats' schedule, he realized it was time to retire. (Side note: Given the TEs the Pats face, one could see why Belichick might check in on Talib's willingness to return).
"I just wasn't feeling it no more, honestly," he said.
A former first-round pick by the Buccaneers, Talib played for the Pats in 2012 and 2013 after being traded from Tampa Bay in the middle of the season. After his run in New England, Talib spent four seasons in Denver where he won a Super Bowl ring and famously ripped off Michael Crabtree's gold chain during a game, causing a kerfuffle.
Talib spent the last two years with the L.A. Rams. He played just five games in 2019 before going on IR with a rib injury. The corner was traded to Miami in a salary dump midseason.
Known as a physical corner who could jam receivers and get them off their routes, as well as his animated approach, Talib will no doubt remain in the NFL limelight as he moves to the media side of the game.