Free agency is coming and teams will be talking to free agents in hopes of signing them to their teams. One element that some teams look at more than others is the compensatory pick formula.
The formula is simple in nature. If you lose more unrestricted free agents than you sign, you are eligible for that many compensatory selections. What round they come is determined by how big their contract is.
One area where general managers can take advantage is by signing players that were released before their contract expires. Those players don’t count toward the formula. The Vikings took advantage of that last year by signing Za’Darius Smith.
This season, there will be plenty of players available to sign that can both help the team and not count against the formula. Here is the up-to-date list of those players that will be updated as players get released.