With the 2019 NFL season hanging in the balance, the Los Angeles Rams decided to part ways with cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters ahead of the trade deadline in order to make room for Jalen Ramsey.
The Rams were in the midst of a three-game losing streak and had been dealt with a number of key injuries on defense. Talib had been among them after landing on injured reserve with a rib injury.
Los Angeles managed to make quite a splash by dealing Peters to the Baltimore Ravens before acquiring Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder. It was not long before Talib was traded along with a fifth-rounder pick to the Miami Dolphins as a way to clear salary for a possible Ramsey extension.
He admitted during an appearance on Fox Sports’ NFL pregame show that he saw the writing on the wall before the trade even happened:
“Well, I was in the building, so I kind of saw the whole thing formulating itself, so not as much of a surprise. I kind of seen the whole story unfolding in front of me,” Talib said.
Talib elaborated on all the signs that pointed to his departure and why he understood what the Rams were doing:
“It kind of started with the Seattle game… I broke my ribs. So early-week meetings, they said the team said they were going to put me on IR. I kind of disagreed with the IR, but it was the team’s decision at the end of the day,” he said.” My call with my agent, I wasn’t the happiest camper, so the trade rumors came upon us and some contenders were out there. but I initially decided to stay. I wanted to stay with the guys I was grinding with – my team, the L.A. Rams. My kids got friends at school and stuff, so I ultimately decided I wanted to stay in L.A. In the back of my mind, I came off IR last year and we went to the Super Bowl so I was positive, glass half full type of thing, and then the next week, Marcus left, and then a couple days later Ramsey came in the building, so I said ‘I see what’s going on here now.’ When you get a guy like Jalen Ramsey, you can’t let that guy leave the building, he’s one of the hottest commodities in the NFL.”
The fact that Talib was not taken back by the trade should hardly come as any surprise. The 33-year-old has been in the league long enough to understand the business aspect of it. Although his comments indicate that he would have liked to stay in Los Angeles, it appears there are no hard feeling between both sides.
While Talib may have struggled to find his footing due to injury, he can take solace in the fact that he was able to help the Rams compete for a Super Bowl. He will now be looking to do what he can to uplift a rebuilding Dolphins team once he is healthy before becoming a free agent this offseason.
