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For generations, folks have been looking for the next great soothsayer in the mold of Nostradamus to spill secrets of the future. It’s possible everyone on the outside may have been poking around in the wrong places to identify him, however.
In Aqib Talib, that person might have been around all along, albeit in pro football. Talib, a former NFL cornerback who played 11 years in the league, showed this past year how in lock-step he can be with an NFL front office when he perfectly called what the Detroit Lions would end up doing in the 2022 offseason entirely.
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Late in a Week 15 game against the Arizona Cardinals, Talib took time out to highlight what he thought the Lions should do for their offseason to keep momentum moving forward. As folks can see, his vision matches almost perfectly with what the Lions have done. Twitter user Julesy was the first one heads-up in identifying this phenomenon:
“Detroit Lions got their off-season strategy from Aqib Talib? He literally name drops Jameson Williams, too, as the WR they should trade up to get.(This was at the end of that Dec. 19 game when they clobbered Arizona; 4:21 in the 4th / game is available on YouTube at the moment),” she tweeted.
Indeed, going to that telecast and fast-forwarding to the mark, Talib’s words are particularly uncanny as it relates to what Detroit would go on to do:
“There it is, what would ‘lib do? Well, you keep this offensive line healthy, probably the strength of the team. They show you how physical they can be when they have all their guys in there. Take that first-round pick, you bring in Aidan Hutchinson. He’ll give you a great rush. You got Amani (Oruwariye) out there, (Jeff) Okdudah out there, two good corners who can play man. May have to trade up a little bit to get that receiver you want in the draft. If it’s me, I’m taking that guy out of Alabama. Give me (Jameson) Williams. Jared Goff is showing he can be that guy next year man, so if you have those parts, the Lions are not too far away from competing with Green Bay in the NFC North. I’m telling you,” Talib says on the telecast.
Ironically, almost everything has played out nearly as Talib has foreseen, and that’s true not only of the offseason, but what happened soon after a few weeks later. The Lions upset the Packers in the season finale 37-30, and when Green Bay bowed out quickly in the playoffs, it showed Detroit might not have to wait long to be able to push the Packers, who have an aging quarterback and will undergo plenty of future changes.
Should this happen, Talib can be the first to proclaim “I told you so” to everyone paying attention. If he says that, he’ll actually be right.
Lions Offseason Has Mimicked Talib’s Plan Perfectly
Whether Talib, a former Los Angeles Ram, had some kind of inside information of what the Lions were going to do or not is impossible to say, but it’s wild how perfectly things matched up for him and the Lions. Indeed, the offensive line is the team’s strength, and with more health, already the group knows they could be the best of the best in the league. With the hopeful strong return of Okudah and development of Oruwariye into stud players, the defensive backfield could be set. Though the Lions did not end up with the top pick, they were able to get their hands on Hutchinson with the second-overall selection, which may have been a stroke of luck. Detroit then did, ironically, trade up to land Williams in one of the boldest moves in the draft. They’ve also gone all-in on Goff, with the front office showing some major belief in their quarterback both with words and actions.
If Lions general manager Brad Holmes ever needs some extra help, it feels safe to say Talib could offer it to him. Perhaps given what Holmes and company have done, Talib was already being listened to as it relates to his plan for the team.
Talib Reacts to Lions’ Prediction on Twitter
As one would expect, Talib was surprised to see his words coming back almost perfectly, and he hopped on Twitter to provide a pretty solid reaction. As he explained, Talib himself appreciates the perfect call he was able to make for the team before the offseason even played out.
“I can’t even lie! That was nice & neat!!! The prediction & the broadcasting!!!,” Talib tweeted.
Talib, working with Fox Sports, has become one of the best young broadcasters in the business not just because of his knowledge of the game, but the fun he brings to the booth. This is a major reason he should be featured on plenty of telecasts moving forward.
Lions fans won’t mind him making more predictions about where their team could be headed in the future. After all, he knocked this first one out of the park as it relates to the 2022 offseason.
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