Aqib Talib Says Bill Belichick Called Him to Cover Tight Ends for Patriots

Talib also said the Patriots were going to pay him $6 million to do so.

Without Patrick Chung in the lineup this season, the New England Patriots have a need for a defensive player that can excel at covering opposing tight ends. 

While there may very well be a player on the roster that can do that, head coach Bill Belichick apparently reached out to a free agent that used to play for the Patriots to help in that department:

Aqib Talib. 

"My guy, my big homie, Bill Belichick, called my phone, Harrison," Talib said during his "Call to the Booth" podcast on Wednesday. "Called my phone, man, told me he had the role of a lifetime for me. He really wanted me to come in and [cover] tight ends."

Talib also noted that the Patriots were willing to pay him around $5.5-6 million to play for them this season. 

However, things came to a halt when Talib looked at New England's regular season schedule. 

"I started going through the schedule, I saw [George Kittle], [Travis] Kelce, [Darren] Waller...when I looked at this f*ckin schedule, and I said, 'can I even [cover] these damn tight ends?'" 

That's when Talib realized his competitive edge isn't where it used to be, so he decided not to sign with the six-time Super Bowl champions and instead retire from football. 

Talib has some experience with the Patriots. In 2012, New England during the season traded a 2013 fourth-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Talib and a seventh rounder. Talib would stay with the Patriots through the 2013 season, earning Pro Bowl honors in the process. 

Chung decided to opt out of the 2020 season to due concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Talib decided to not play football again, the six-time Super Bowl champions will now rely on a safety room of Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger, Joejuan Williams, Cody Davis and Terrence Brooks to fill Chung's role - which he skillfully owned for a decade in New England - in some form or fashion this year. 

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