FOXBORO -- Aqib Talib is going to get paid this offseason. It won’t be by the Patriots, but he’ll get paid.

The cornerback, who is set to hit the free agent market in March, was understandably cautious in his tone when speaking with the media on Monday. He said all the right things, and talked about how much fun it was playing for the Patriots, getting to the postseason for the first time in his career, and what a pleasure it was to play for Bill Belichick.

But it was impossible not to notice he did a lot of talking in the past tense, saying only he “definitely enjoyed my time here,” and adding, “we’ll see what happens in the future.”

“Man, I had a lot of fun here, man,” said Talib, the day after New England suffered a loss in the AFC title game to the Ravens, 28-13. “I definitely enjoyed my time here. We’ll see what happens in the future, but I definitely had the most fun I’ve had playing football in a long time.

“I’m not really worried about all that right now,” he added when pressed about free agency. “Like I said, the game was 12 hours ago. I’m in the training room with the guys, we’re having fun. I’m still a Patriot. I think free agency don’t start [until] March, so until then, I’m still a Patriot. And I’m going to enjoy my time.”

Talib, who was acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay on Nov. 1, provided a boost to the New England secondary -- while he certainly wasn’t a Pro Bowler, he allowed the Patriots to make some moves defensively that they couldn’t do before his acquisition, including the move of Devin McCourty to safety and the decision to shuffle Kyle Arrington back to the role of slot corner. With him in the lineup, the Patriots were able to play a little more man coverage than they had been doing in the previous couple of years, and he was frequently matched up against the opponents’ No. 1 receiver. He finished the regular season with 19 tackles (13 solo), two passes defensed and one interception.

But after he went down in the first half Sunday against the Ravens, the domino effect was felt across the defense. While New England’s second-half defensive struggles were across the board, the Patriots had some serious issues when it came to containing the Baltimore passing game, and it’s undeniable his injury played a factor in what happened down the stretch.

“We came in here and we did some stuff. It just wasn’t strong enough to go compete at that level,” Talib said Monday when asked about his injury. “Just a little tweak. I’ll be all right, though.”

Regardless of the long-term ramifications of the injury, Talib certainly has bargaining power, particularly when it comes to the Patriots. He was able to shore up a sagging secondary, and provide a competitive presence at corner, one New England has been lacking for the better part of the last couple of years.

Talib just wrapped up the final year of a five-year, $14 million contract he signed as a rookie, and traditionally, players consider themselves lucky to sign three deals over the course of their careers: Their rookie contract, where they make their name; their second one, where they make their money; and third; where they make their legacy. And with the list of available free-agent corners, frankly, this is as good a time as any for Talib to cash in. After operating under a cloud of character concerns over the first few seasons of his career, Talib, who will turn 27 next month, was able to reinvent himself in Foxboro as a good and worthy teammate -- someone who could command a sizable deal at this stage of his career.

This offseason, if you’re Talib’s agent Todd France, the negotiation should consist of two things: one, walking into Bill Belichick’s office this offseason, slap a copy of the passing stats before and after Talib showed up down on the desk, and walk out. (With him in the lineup, New England’s defensive numbers improved across the board, including passing yards and total yards allowed.) And two, making sure people are well aware of the list of the rest of the free-agent corners who will hit the market.

Belichick, who was effusive in his praise of Talib after he was acquired, was asked Monday morning if he was hopeful that the Talib “experiment” will continue.

“We will not make any decisions on any players into the future now. You just can’t do it. There are too many factors, too many unknown things,” he said. “All the things I said about Aqib, I meant and I still feel that way. Nothing has changed, but I can’t put into place an entire plan for the team at this point in time. There’s just not enough information; it’s too early.”

When it comes to the offseason, the Patriots face a mountain of key personnel decisions: Wes Welker, Sebastian Vollmer, Julian Edelman and Danny Woodhead are all important. Talib is the most important call they have to make on the defensive side of the ball, but if history -- and the market -- is any indication, his price will be too high.