Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trade CB Aqib Talib to New England Patriots

The New England Patriots clearly needed help in the secondary. At Thursday's NFL trade deadline, they made a move with that in mind, trading for Aqib Talib of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs' official Twitter account verified the move:

"

The Buccaneers have traded CB Aqib Talib to the New England Patriots. More details to follow.

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@TBBuccaneers) November 1, 2012"

The details are as follows:

"

The trade details: CB Aqib Talib and a 2013 7th-round pick for a 2013 4th-round pick.

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@TBBuccaneers) November 1, 2012"

It could very well turn out to be a smart deal for both teams. The Patriots are giving up 281.1 passing yards per game (28th in NFL) and could desperately use an upgrade at cornerback. In five seasons, Talib had 18 interceptions for the Bucs.

In four games this season, Talib has 21 tackles, one interception and seven passes defended.

As Andrew Brandt of ESPN notes, it's a nice opportunity for the Patriots to give Talib an extended tryout before his contract expires:

"

Talib is making $1.852M - $109,000 a week.Contract expires after this season.Nine week look-see.

— Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) November 1, 2012"

And Pro Football Focus had a nice take on what New England is gaining in this deal:

"

Talib is inconsistent, and comes loaded with baggage, but he has real elite talent at CB. Patriots don't have that otherwise

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 1, 2012"

That tweet also serves as a reminder of what Tampa Bay is ridding itself of: a player with baggage. Talib will be serving the final game of a four-game suspension for taking Adderall without a prescription.

It is the second suspension of his career, following a one-game suspension in 2009 for an altercation he had with a cab driver. He was also accused of assault with a deadly weapon this past summer, but those charges were dropped.

It's not terribly surprising the Bucs were ready to move on. The Patriots will hope Talib can stay out of trouble and provide the upgrade at cornerback the team desperately needs.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are clutch like Romo. Sergio Romo, that is.