Aqib Talib (born February 13, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. Talib also played for the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Rams, winning Super Bowl 50 with Denver. In 2020, he made his debut as an analyst for the NFL on Fox.
Early life Aqib Talib was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents Theodore Henry and Okolo Talib in a Muslim household. Talib is the youngest of four siblings; he has two older sisters, Saran and Kai, and an older brother, Yaqub. As the youngest of four children, he was named Aqib which means "the last one" in Arabic. His last name, Talib, means "student." Aqib's parents divorced when he was young, and he spent much of his childhood between Ohio and New Jersey. When Talib was in the eighth grade, his mother moved to Richardson, Texas, with him and his older brother.
Talib attended Berkner High School in Richardson, Texas, and lettered in football, basketball, and track. In football, as a senior, he was named Berkner High School's Defensive Back of the Year while garnering first-team all-district and first-team all-city honors. In track & field, he was a member of the 4 × 100m (43.05) and 4 × 200m (1:32.77) relay squads.
As a college football prospect during his senior year, Talib was rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. He was recruited by Kansas, Wyoming, Tulsa, Arizona, Kansas State, and Baylor. He chose to sign a National Letter of Intent to play for Kansas.
College career Talib attended the University of Kansas, where he played for the Kansas Jayhawks football team from 2004 to 2007.
Talib established himself as one of the best defensive college football players in the country as a junior in 2007, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He also continued to play sparingly as a wide receiver, catching four touchdown passes through the first nine games. Against rival Kansas State, Talib preserved a victory by intercepting a Josh Freeman pass in the final moments of the game. He also returned an interception 102 yards for a touchdown against Florida International.
In the 2008 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech, Talib returned an interception for a touchdown thrown by Tyrod Taylor and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. He announced on January 6, 2008, that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2008 NFL draft.
Talib was added to the Kansas Ring of Honor in 2017 along with his Orange Bowl Championship teammate Anthony Collins.
Professional career Pre-draft As one of the nation's top cornerback prospects, Talib received an invitation to the 2008 NFL Combine, held at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.Results – Defensive Backs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2008 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Talib in the first round (20th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft. He was the third cornerback selected, behind Leodis McKelvin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He became the first Kansas player to be drafted in the first round since 1993 when Dana Stubblefield was drafted 26th overall by the San Francisco 49ers. Talib also became the second cornerback ever taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round since they selected Rod Jones in the 1986 NFL draft.
On July 25, 2008, the Buccaneers signed Talib to a four-year, $14 million contract that included $8 million guaranteed.
While attending the NFL's rookie symposium, Talib got into a fight with fellow rookie and teammate Cory Boyd. He also overslept and missed a flight to Canton, Ohio, for a mandatory rookie function at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Talib also missed team meetings during organized team activities and training camp his rookie season. Throughout training camp, Talib competed for a job as one of the starting cornerbacks against Phillip Buchanon. Head coach Jon Gruden named Talib the third cornerback on the depth chart behind veteran Ronde Barber and Buchanon to begin the regular season.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season-opener at the New Orleans Saints and made one solo tackle in their 24–20 loss. In Week 2, Talib made his first career interception off a pass attempt by Atlanta Falcons' rookie quarterback Matt Ryan as Tampa Bay defeated them 24–9. The following game, Talib was inactive for Tampa Bay's 27–24 victory at the Chicago Bears. On October 12, 2008, he recorded a season-high three combined tackles, deflected two passes, and intercepted Jake Delhomme in a 27–3 win over the Carolina Panthers. On November 2, 2008, Talib made his first career start during the Buccaneers' 30–27 victory at the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished his rookie season in with 23 combined tackles (17 solo), nine pass deflections, and four interceptions in 15 games and two starts. Head coach Jon Gruden was fired after the Buccaneers finished third in the NFC South with a 9–7 record.
2009 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers promoted defensive backs coach Raheem Morris to head coach. He named Talib the starting cornerback, alongside Ronde Barber, after Buchanon departed for the Detroit Lions in free agency.
On October 4, 2009, Talib recorded four solo tackles, three pass deflections, and had a career-high three interceptions off of Washington Redskins' quarterback Jason Campbell during their 16–13 loss. Talib was inactive for the Buccaneers' Week 13 loss at the Carolina Panthers. On December 20, 2009, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles in their 24–7 win at the Seattle Seahawks. He finished the season with a career-high 64 combined tackles (56 solo), 15 passes defensed, and five interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts. Defensive coordinator Jim Bates was fired after a 1–9 start and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the season with a 3–13 record.
2010 Head coach Raheem Morris retained defensive coordinator duties and opted to keep Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib as the starting cornerbacks. On August 31, 2010, it was reported that the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued Talib a one-game suspension, to serve during the Buccaneers' season-opener, for his involvement in a battery of a taxi driver (See Personal life).
He made his season debut in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 2 game against the Carolina Panthers and recorded a tackle, a pass deflection, and an interception during their 20–7 victory. On October 31, 2010, Talib recorded five solo tackles, two interceptions, and scored his first career touchdown in Tampa Bay's 38–35 victory at the Arizona Cardinals. He intercepted quarterback Max Hall in the second quarter and returned it 45-yards for his first career touchdown, but also was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting during his return. In Week 10, he recorded a season-high eight combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 31–16 victory against the Carolina Panthers. On December 6, 2010, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed Talib on injured reserve due to a hip injury he suffered during a Week 13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He finished the season with 40 combined tackles (39 solo), 11 pass deflections, a touchdown, and a career-high six interceptions in 11 games and 11 starts.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished with a 10–6 record in 2010, but did not qualify for the playoffs after finishing third in their division. After the 2010 season, Talib was named Defensive Back of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association.
2011 Talib and Barber remained as the starting cornerback duo in 2011. He started the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season-opener against the Detroit Lions and recorded three solo tackles, two pass deflections, and returned an interception by Matthew Stafford for a 28-yard touchdown during their 27–20 loss to the Lions. In Week 3, Talib made a season-high six solo tackles in a 16–13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. On November 27, 2011, Talib recorded three combined tackles, deflected a pass, and scored his third career touchdown after intercepting Matt Hasselbeck and returning it 28-yards during the Buccaneers' 23–17 loss at the Tennessee Titans. He was sidelined for a Week 11 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars due to a hamstring injury. On December 19, 2011, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed Talib on injured reserve after due to a recurring hamstring injury. He finished the season with 34 combined tackles (31 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, two touchdowns, and a forced fumble in 13 games and 13 starts.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the season last in the NFC South with a 4–12 record and had a ten-game losing streak to end the season. On January 2, 2012, head coach Raheem Morris was fired by the Buccaneers after his third season.
2012 New head coach Greg Schiano named Talib and newly acquired free agent Eric Wright the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season after Ronde Barber was moved to free safety.
On September 15, 2012, Talib recorded a season-high eight solo tackles during a 41–34 loss at the New York Giants. The following week, he made seven solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted Tony Romo in their 16–10 loss at the Dallas Cowboys.
On October 13, 2012, Talib was suspended by the NFL for four games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Talib's positive result was for Adderall and he released a statement saying, "Around the beginning of training camp, I made a mistake by taking an Adderall pill without a prescription."
New England Patriots 2012 On November 1, 2012, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded Talib and a 2013 seventh-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for a 2013 fourth-round draft pick. The Buccaneers went on to draft defensive end William Gholston with their fourth-round pick and the Patriots selected defensive end Michael Buchanan with their seventh-round pick.
On November 12, 2012, Talib returned from his four-game suspension. Head coach Bill Belichick named Talib one of the starting cornerbacks with Kyle Arrington after moving Devin McCourty to free safety. On November 18, 2012, Talib made his New England Patriots debut against the Indianapolis Colts and recorded seven combined tackles, defended a pass, and returned an interception from rookie quarterback Andrew Luck for a 59-yard touchdown as the Patriots routed the Colts 59–24. Talib was plagued with a hip injury throughout the season and missed the Patriots' Week 17 28–0 win vs the Miami Dolphins. He finished the season with 40 combined tackles (33 solo), ten pass deflections, two interceptions, and a touchdown in ten games and nine starts.
The New England Patriots finished atop the AFC East with a 12–4 record and were given a first round bye. On January 13. 2013, Talib started his first career playoff game and recorded ten combined tackles as the Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 41–28. The following week, they were defeated 28–13 in the AFC Championship by the eventual Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens.
2013
On March 16, 2013, the Patriots signed Talib to a one-year, $4.86 million contract that includes $4.57 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $3 million.
He was named one of the starting cornerbacks, alongside Alfonzo Dennard to begin the regular season. On September 12, 2013, Talib recorded two combined tackles, two pass deflections, and two interceptions during a 13–10 win against the New York Jets. He missed three consecutive games (Weeks 7–9) after aggravating his hip injury that plagued him over the last two seasons. He finished the with 41 combined tackles (35 solo), 14 pass deflections, and four interceptions in 13 games and 13 starts. Talib was targeted 65 times and allowed 29 receptions (44%) for 471 yards and two touchdowns in 2013.