With the trade deadline given and extra 48 hours and plenty of player’s names being thrown around in trade rumors, none of them came into fruition.
But there was a surprise trade of a player whose name was never mentioned.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded the troubled but talented cornerback to the New England Patriots. The Patriots sent the Buccaneers their 2013 fourth-round pick for Talib and the Buccaneers sent their 2013 seventh-round pick to the Patriots.
Patriots who in the past used to make deals to stockpile draft picks have now been giving them away in exchange for players via trades. Most recently they sent a fifth-round draft pick to the Washington Redskins for Albert Haynesworth and a sixth-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for Chad Johnson, formerly Chad Ochocino. The Patriots hope Talib will work out better than Haynesworth and Johnson, since neither are no longer with the team.
Aqib Talib is currently serving a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. So far he has missed three games. But with the Patriots currently on a bye week Talib will not be available to play until Week 11.
