At the rate they're going, the Los Angeles Rams might end up making a trade with every team in the NFL before the offseason is over. For the fourth time in two weeks, the Rams have pulled off a trade, and this time they've acquired a five-time Pro Bowler.
According to NFL.com, the Broncos have traded cornerback Aqib Talib to the Rams. In return, the Rams are shipping a fifth-round pick to Denver, according to ESPN.com.
Although Talib is still a talented defensive back, the move comes as no surprise. The Broncos have basically spent the past month looking for a trading partner and reportedly had talks with everyone ranging from the 49ers to the Patriots. It was so clear that Talib was going to get dealt at some point that he sent out a tweet on February 28 telling teams to come get him.
The reason a trade didn't happen right away is because it appears that Talib wasn't willing to be dealt to just anyone. According to ESPN.com, the veteran either wanted to play for Bill Belichick in New England or Wade Phillips in Los Angeles. Since it wouldn't have made much sense for Denver to beef up the Patriots' secondary, it seems the decision was made to ship Talib off to the NFC.
By trading Talib, the Broncos will be freeing up $11 million in 2018 cap space, which is a huge number for a team that's expected to go after a starting quarterback when free agency begins on March 14.
As for the Rams, the trade for Talib continues a ridiculously busy offseason for the NFC West champs. Over the past two weeks, the Rams have traded away linebacker Alec Ogletree to the Giants and dealt Robert Quinn away to the Dolphins. The Rams also acquired Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters during a February trade with Kansas City.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Rams won't ask Talib to modify his contract, which means he'll get his full $11 million base salary in 2018.
By adding Talib and Peters, the Rams now have replacements for Trumaine Johnson and Nickell Robey-Coleman, who will both be free agents next week. Talib is actually the second defensive back that the Rams added on Thursday. The team also signed former Packers cornerback Sam Shields, who hasn't played in a regular season game since Week 1 of 2016.
As for Talib, the 32-year-old corner will now be playing for the fourth team of his 10-year career. After being selected by the Buccaneers with the 20th overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, Talib spent four-and-a-half seasons in Tampa before being traded to New England. The five-time Pro Bowler then signed with the Broncos in 2014 and won a Super Bowl with Denver in 2015.