Patriots CB Aqib Talib Not Worried About Free Agency

If the Patriots were unsure of Aqib Talib's importance to their defense, they received a disconcerting lesson in Sunday's loss in the AFC Championship. With Talib leaving the game in the first quarter, New England couldn't slow down Baltimore's passing game in the second half, sending the Ravens to New Orleans and the Patriots packing. It would therefore seem that re-signing Talib, an unrestricted free agent, would be one of the top priorities for the Pats this offseason. Talib was vague about his thoughts on free agency, saying on multiple occasions that he "definitely enjoyed being a Patriot." "I had a lot of fun here. We'll see what happens in the future, but I definitely had the most fun I've had playing football in a long time here," he said Monday. "I'm not really worried about all that [free agency] right now. The game was 12 hours ago. I'm in the training room with the guys. Right now I'm still a Patriot. Free agency doesn't start until March. Until then, I'm still a Patriot." "All the things I said about Aqib I meant and I still feel that way. Nothing has changed," head coach Bill Belichick said Monday while not specifically addressing the corner's impending free agency. "I don't think you can, as much as you want to just go case by case and list each guy and what his deal is, you've got to look at the entire team. You've got to look at the entire context of the team and not just take it one guy, piece by piece." Source: Providence Journal