Compensatory Pick Period Is Over

You might notice a small uptick in player signings this week. Greg Salas and John Conner signed with new teams yesterday. That is because we are now at the point where signings do not factor into whether a team gets compensatory draft picks for free agents.

The NFL uses a complicated formula to determine compensatory picks in the NFL Draft. One piece of criteria is whether a team loses more than it gains in free agency. Why sign a guy like Salas who might reduce your team's chances of getting a pick when he will be available after the deadline?

The old date for the deadline was June 1. The new date is May 12. I would have mentioned this sooner, but there isn't much of a chance for the New York Jets to get any compensatory picks in 2016 after their spending spree this spring. It will be interesting to see how much the desire for compensatory picks plays into Mike Maccagnan's free agent strategy in years to come when he will have neither the amount of money the Jets had nor the number of needs essentially forcing him to spend.