Retired NFL Star Aqib Talib Hopes to Follow in Tony Romo’s Footsteps
Former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib had an impressive career. He played for five different teams throughout his career and established himself as one of the best cornerbacks and NFL players in the league. Talib won a Super Bowl during his career and was selected to multiple Pro Bowl teams.
His career ended in 2019, and the Super Bowl champion still wanted to be involved in football even though his playing days were over. Talib is following in former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo’s footsteps in going from the field to the broadcast booth.
Aqib Talib was a standout in college and became a top NFL draft prospect
Talib attended the University of Kansas and played on the football team from 2005 to 2007. During his junior season, he had a standout career. He finished with 66 total tackles and five interceptions. Talib was a unanimous All-American selection after his junior season. He decided to forego his senior season and enter the draft.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Talib with the 20th overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft. He became the first Kansas player to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft since 1993, and he was the second cornerback ever taken by the Buccaneers in the first round since they selected Rod Jones in the 1986 NFL Draft. After his rookie season, he became a starter for the Buccaneers. During the 2010 season, he finished with a career-high in interceptions with six. The Buccaneers traded Talib to the New England Patriots in November of 2012. He had success in his short stint with the Patriots.
Talib was selected to the Pro Bowl team in 2013 and was a second-team All-Pro selection as well. After his time with the Patriots, Talib continued to have success in the league.
Aqib Talib joining the Denver Broncos and winning a Super Bowl
In 2014, Talib signed a six-year contract with the Denver Broncos. He was named the starting cornerback during his first season with the team. Talib went on to play in his second consecutive Pro Bowl, and the next year, he was a part of the Broncos team that defeated the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl.
During his time with the Broncos, Talib was selected to four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2016. After a successful career in Denver, he was traded to the LA Rams in 2018. Talib started in eight games during the 2018 season and finished with 23 combined tackles and one interception. He began the 2019 season with the Broncos and was then traded to the Miami Dolphins. During his time with the Dolphins, he did not see any action on the field because he was on injured reserve. In September of 2020, he announced his retirement from the league.
Aqib Talib following in Tony Romo’s footsteps in becoming a broadcaster
It didn’t take Talib long for him to find his way back to football after he retired. On Nov. 15, he made his broadcast debut with Fox as he called the Detroit Lions vs. Washington Football Team game. He called the game alongside Dan Hellie, and Talib did not shy away from his big moment.
With Talib’s experience in the league, he has a good knowledge of the game and understands it very well. During the game, many notable people throughout the media went to Twitter and complimented Talib on his commentary. Bill Barnwell, an ESPN writer, said on Twitter that “Aqib Talib has been great on commentary during this Lions game.” The former star cornerback is following in the footsteps of another former NFL player, Tony Romo.
After Romo announced his retirement from the NFL in 2017, CBS Sports hired him as a color analyst for the networks NFL games. Now Romo has made another career in broadcasting, and he’s enjoying it. Talib could potentially pursue broadcasting full time, and just like Romo, he could make broadcasting another career.