The Transition Tag An Option For Patriots CB Aqib Talib?

Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe writes that “it would be a surprise” to see the Patriots and CB Aqib Talib reach an agreement on a long-term contract before the start of free agency, despite freeing up some extra cap space yesterday with the extension handed out to Tom Brady.

Bedard adds that New England could end up using the transition tag on Talib instead.

This would be an interesting move by the Patriots, as it would cost them $8.9 million instead of the $10.6 million franchise tag. The Patriots would have the right of first refusal, but wouldn’t receive any compensation if Talib were to sign with another team.

It’s hard to say if this would be enough to persuade other team from trying to sign Talib to a long-term extension. We have Talib listed as the No. 22 best available player in our Top 50 Free Agents list.