With Thursday's trade that sent Aqib Talib to the Los Angeles Rams, the cornerback's tenure in Denver came to an end. The Broncos not only lost a big piece of their secondary -- Talib had 11 interceptions and six touchdowns in his four seasons with the team -- but they also lost one of the league's most eccentric personalities.
In addition to his talents in coverage, Talib is notorious for being somewhat of an unapologetic wild card on the field and in his interviews with the press. That reputation is one that he's earned through the years, and his Broncos tenure had some particularly crazy highlights, so let's take a trip down memory lane to recall some of Talib's wildest moments during his time with the Orange and Blue.
The Super Bowl slip
Shortly after the Broncos beat the Panthers to win Super Bowl 50, Talib ventured over to the NFL Network's set on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He excitedly tried to hop into the live broadcast but came in too hot and -- taking notes from Cam Newton earlier in the day -- went down like a sack of bricks.
Luckily, the wipeout didn't slow his celebration down a bit, as he hopped right back to his feet with a triumphant, "I'm good, babayyyyyy!"
The Eye Poke
In a 2015 game against the Colts, Talib made a bone-headed decision that wound up being pretty costly for both him and his team. The Broncos were down by three points late in the game and just one stop away from getting the ball back for a chance at a dramatic comeback win, but Talib decided to jump into a scuffle and poke tight end Dwayne Allen in the eye. He earned an unsportsmanlike penalty that effectively handed the Broncos a loss -- their first of the season. Talib also was suspended for a game.
It's certainly not Talib's proudest moment, but also probably not his most embarrassing. As for that one, well...
The gunshot
After winning the Super Bowl with Denver, Talib had himself an interesting offseason -- one that was highlighted by him shooting himself in the leg by accident. He got relatively lucky considering he was able to avoid surgery and prison time (sorry, Plaxico) but the incident did force him to miss the Broncos' visit to the White House. (It's important to remember that 2016 was a time when teams actually wanted to visit the White House after a championship.) He was able to recover from his injuries in time to start the season.
The Harry Douglas interview
In late 2016, Talib was incensed when the Titans' Harry Douglas tried to throw a cheap block on Broncos cornerback Chris Harris. Talib tried to go after Harris on the field and sparked a fracas. After the game, the media asked Talib about the incident and he didn't hold back, telling everyone that he was going to find Douglas and "beat his ass." It remains a mystery if he followed through on his word.
The Michael Crabtree chain snatch
In what was quite possibly the most personally disrespectful move the NFL has ever seen, Talib literally snatched Michael Crabtree's chain during a game in Denver. Talib just went ahead and ripped it right off the neck of the Raiders receiver, taking a little bit of Crabtree's dignity along with it.
"He's just been wearing that chain all year. It's just been growing on me," Talib said after that game. "I said if he wears that chain in front of me, I'm going to snatch it off. He wore it in front of me, so I had to snatch it off. He started crying to the ref. He didn't say nothing to me, though."
Ruthless, but there's more!
The Michael Crabtree chain snatch...again
The only thing more disrespectful than snatching a man's chain is snatching a man's chain twice, so you know Talib had to do it again. The following season, Talib managed to get his paws on Crabtree's chain again, despite the receiver taping it down to his chest prior to the game. Crabtree seemed a little more upset the second time around and the two attempted to exchange punches.
The Talib-Crabtree rivalry was undoubtedly the most entertaining and diabolical aspect of Talib's tenure in Denver. Luckily for us all -- minus Crabtree and his jewelry -- it will presumably live on for at least one more year, as the Rams are scheduled to face the Raiders in the 2018 season.