Tag: compensatory

Free agent Saints safety Justin Evans signing with Eagles

Free agent New Orleans Saints safety Justin Evans is signing a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, NFL Network reports:

Hey, good for Justin Evans. The New Orleans Saints backup safety is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. It’s a one-year deal for the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-round pick.

Evans is a great story. He’s only 27 years old but lost several years of his career recovering from complicated lower-leg injuries, and he impressed Saints coaches so strongly last summer they were willing to move on from disgruntled slot corner C.J. Gardner-Johnson by the end of training camp. He ultimately played 391 snaps on defense, mainly covering the slot and lining up over the top at free safety, while also running with the kickoff and punt coverage units on special teams.

Evans was an important depth player for the Saints throughout the year, even if he struggled a bit in a starting role. They’ll need to make moves like signing former Houston Texans starter Lonnie Johnson Jr. to overcome this loss. He may factor into the compensatory picks formula for the 2024 NFL draft but we’ll have to wait and see what his contract is valued at to know for sure.

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Andy Dalton left the Saints with a unique parting gift for the 2024 draft

Andy Dalton left the Saints with a unique parting gift: A free space in the compensatory picks formula for the 2024 NFL draft

So this is interesting — the Carolina Panthers are closing in on a two-year contract with former New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Andy Dalton, who would be tabbed to mentor whichever prospect Carolina picks first overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

Okay, that in itself isn’t very interesting. The money involved is (Dalton is going to be earning about twice of what he got from the Saints last season) but the departure isn’t that noteworthy. What’s unique about this situation is the parting gift that Dalton is leaving behind.

Because the Panthers are going to sign Dalton after his contract with the Saints expired, he’ll be qualify as a compensatory free agent for the 2024 NFL draft. Normally, that means the Saints would stand to get comp pick for losing Dalton. Probably a sixth rounder next season. But the Saints have already qualified for the maximum four comp picks allowed for 2024, so they won’t get anything for Dalton after all.

But wait, there’s more. While the Saints aren’t going to receive a comp pick for Dalton, his departure does still work in their favor for this process. His loss will work as a buffer between the Saints and any compensatory free agents that they do sign in the days and weeks ahead. That means New Orleans could sign a qualifying free agent like, say, New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, and he wouldn’t count towards their total. Dalton and Rankins would cancel each other out as far as the comp picks formula is concerned.

Which means the Saints would still be getting the projected comp picks for losing defensive linemen Marcus Davenport, David Onyemata, and Shy Tuttle as well as linebacker Kaden Elliss in 2024 (a mix of fourth- and sixth-round picks). They could jeopardize one or more of those picks by signing additional qualifying free agents, but if the Saints are careful and play this right they could address their team needs and still come out ahead with multiple comp picks in 2024. That’s going to be huge for a roster looking for an injection of young talent on salary cap-friendly rookie contracts.

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Compensatory draft pick projections give Saints 10 selections in 2024

Compensatory draft pick projections give the New Orleans Saints 10 selections in 2024, but that number will go down once they begin signing new players:

Whew. The New Orleans Saints lost four of their free agents during Monday’s start to the NFL legal tampering period, in which opposing teams could reach out and offer contracts to players around the league.

David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle, Kaden Elliss, and Marcus Davenport each reached agreements with new teams within hours of the negotiating window’s opening. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Saints are for once poised to cash in with some valuable compensatory picks in the 2024 draft (which we’re tracking here).

The way things stand right now, the Saints would have a total of ten picks to work with in 2024:

  • Round 1
  • Round 2 (via Denver Broncos)
  • Round 4
  • Round 4 (compensatory for Marcus Davenport)
  • Round 4 (compensatory for David Onyemata)
  • Round 5
  • Round 6
  • Round 6 (via Philadelphia Eagles)
  • Round 6 (compensatory for Kaden Elliss)
  • Round 6 (compensatory for Shy Tuttle)

However, the Saints will be without their own selections in rounds two (traded to the Eagles in last year’s first-round move), three (traded to the Broncos along with Sean Payton), and seven (traded to the Houston Texans for Mark Ingram II), so these comp picks would only be shoring up some vacancies.

And New Orleans very likely isn’t going to end up with the maximum four comp picks allowed for player departures. Once they begin signing new free agents of their own, those additions will count against the losses and thin out the group based on contract value. It’s more realistic to expect two or three comp picks when it’s all said and done, but you never know. We’ll have to wait quite a while to see how this all plays out.

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New Orleans Saints 2024 compensatory draft picks tracker

Our New Orleans Saints 2024 compensatory draft picks tracker is live. We’ll update this space as each Saints roster move factors into the equation:

The New Orleans Saints haven’t put as much a premium on compensatory draft picks as other teams around the league, but they’ve managed to come away with more comp picks in recent years than we’ve seen in the past. That could continue in the year ahead.

How these comp picks are awarded is a sort-of mysterious process, but the gist of it is that the NFL keeps track of how many qualifying players each team signs and loses during the past offseason, then awards draft picks to compensate for the loss of value in average pay per year. Only players whose contracts expired (not those who were released by their old teams) and with about four years’ of experience in the NFL qualify. Additionally, these comp picks are capped at four per team per year.

So the Saints did not jeopardize any comp picks in the 2024 draft by signing Derek Carr after the Las Vegas Raiders cut him in February, but last season’s moves to acquire Andy Dalton and Marcus Maye did count against the losses of Terron Armstead and Marcus Williams. Still, the NFL basically took pity on them and still gave the team a seventh-round comp pick for the net change in value.

With all that in mind: here’s a quick look at where the Saints stand for 2024 comp picks based on their 2023 free agency activity so far.

2023 NFL draft order finalized; where the Saints will be picking in every round

The 2023 NFL draft order has been finalized; where the New Orleans Saints will be picking in every round in the upcoming event:

Finally. The NFL announced its list of compensatory picks in the 2023 NFL draft on Thursday, following up with the finalized round-by-round order of selections on Friday. And the New Orleans Saints will be making eight picks in this year’s event, including the third-from-last choice.

But the Saints are going to be without their initial picks in rounds one (traded to the Philadelphia Eagles to get another first rounder last year) and six (traded to the Houston Texans as a conditional pick for cornerback Bradley Roby). At least they got a few picks back in the later rounds. Here’s where the Saints will go on the clock in each frame — barring more moves:

Full list of Green Bay Packers picks in 2023 NFL draft

The Green Bay Packers have 10 picks in the 2023 NFL draft. Here’s the official list.

The Green Bay Packers currently hold 10 picks in the 2023 NFL draft, including two compensatory picks.

The draft will be hosted by Kansas City and begins Thursday, April 27 and runs through Saturday, April 29.

Note: This list is before any potential trade of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and will be updated if a trade is completed.

Here’s the list of picks for the Packers in the 2023 draft:

First round, No. 15 overall
Second round, No. 45 overall
Third round, No. 78 overall
Fourth round, No. 116 overall
Fifth round, No. 149 overall
Fifth round, No. 170 overall (compensatory)
Seventh round, No. 232 overall
Seventh round, No. 235 overall (from LAR)
Seventh round, No. 242 overall (from JAX)
Seventh round, No. 256 overall (compensatory)

Note: The Packers traded away a sixth-round pick but gained a seventh-round pick from the Rams (Corey Bojorquez trade) and also added an additional seventh-round pick from the Jaguars (Cole Van Lanen trade).

The full 260-pick, seven-round draft order can be found here.

For reference’s sake, here are the New York Jets’ draft picks:

First round, No. 13 overall
Second round, No. 43 overall
Third round, No. 74 overall
Fourth round, No. 112 overall
Fifth round, No. 143 overall
Sixth round, No. 207 overall

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Saints awarded a single compensatory pick in 2023 NFL draft

Mr. Irrelevant could be a Saint. The New Orleans Saints were awarded a single compensatory pick in the 2023 NFL draft, almost (but not quite) at the end of Round 7:

Ring the bell: the New Orleans Saints received a single compensatory pick in the 2023 NFL draft following their free agent losses last offseason. Because of the value exchanged in losing left tackle Terron Armstead and free safety Marcus Williams while adding a veteran safety in Marcus Maye and a backup quarterback in Andy Dalton, the league office decided that the Saints earned a compensatory pick in the seventh round. It’s slotted at No. 257 overall.

That’s not the Mr. Irrelevant pick (the final selection in the draft), but it’s close. The Chicago Bears and Houston Texans own the last two picks before the Saints’ final choice, at Nos. 258 and 259. If the Saints trade down with Houston, whoever they choose will own that recognition. The compensatory pick formula is still shrouded in secrecy but experts at Over The Cap have gotten increasingly more accurate in predicting it year over year. They got it right this time.

We’re still waiting on the league office to finalize the draft order in the later rounds (when we’ll learn whether or not the Saints are losing their sixth rounder, traded to the Texans as a conditional pick for cornerback Bradley Roby) but for now here are where they’re slotted in:

  • Round 1, Pick 30 (via Denver, from Miami through San Francisco)
  • Round 2, Pick 41
  • Round 3, Pick 72
  • Round 4, Pick 116
  • Round 5, Pick 149
  • Round 5, Pick 168 (via Philadelphia)
  • Round 7, Pick 257

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Saints projected to get a single compensatory pick in 2023 draft

The Saints project to get a single compensatory pick in the 2023 draft after losing free agents Terron Armstead and Marcus Williams in 2022:

It’s still kind of bizarre that the NFL hides its compensatory draft pick formula from the public eye, but Over The Cap’s Nick Korte comes closest each year to accurately projecting how these comp picks are awarded. And for his final projection for the 2023 draft, Korte has the New Orleans Saints receiving a single comp pick in the seventh round after losing free agents Terron Armstead and Marcus Williams last year.

Both of those players signed contracts that would have brought third- or fourth-round comp picks to New Orleans, but the Saints negated the losses by adding free agents Andy Dalton and Marcus Maye. As Korte explained it, he has the difference between those contracts resulting in a net value compensatory pick:

“This results from the Saints seeing two players, Terron Armstead and Marcus Williams, depart for high value contracts ($15.95M APY and $14M APY, for compensatory pick purposes), while signing two players, Marcus Maye and Andy Dalton, for lower valued contracts ($7.5M APY and $4M APY). Armstead are ranked #98 and #144, generating points of 1,943 and 1,840, while Maye and Dalton are ranked #297 and #436, generating points of 1,747 and 1,595. The net value resulting from the differences of those sums, 3,842 and 3,342, is 505 points, well above the 300 point threshold.”

That’s better than nothing, right? But it’s really tough to argue Dalton or Maye brought as much value to the Saints in 2022 as Armstead or Williams would have. Dalton’s shortcomings at quarterback cost the Saints some games, and Maye’s durability issues were persistent. It would be disappointing to see the Saints lose two high-end starters and get maybe the last pick in the draft in return.

Korte has missed the mark before. Last year he predicted the Saints would receive comp picks in rounds four and six, having lost free agents Trey Hendrickson and Sheldon Rankins a year earlier, but they ended up with a pair of third rounders instead. Maybe the NFL will view things differently again this year and give the Saints better picks than we’re expecting.

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Saints projected to receive 2023 comp pick after losing Terron Armstead

It’s not much of a consolation prize, but the New Orleans Saints are projected to receive a compensatory 2023 draft pick after losing Terron Armstead to the Dolphins:

We’ll take our silver linings where we can find them. It’s early, and a lot can change between now and then, but the analysts at Over The Cap currently project the New Orleans Saints to receive a third round compensatory pick in the 2023 NFL draft after losing standout left tackle Terron Armstead to the Miami Dolphins. That’s projected to slot in at No. 98 overall, which is also where the Saints are scheduled to make their pick in 2022 as a comp selection following pass rusher Trey Hendrickson’s departure in 2021.

Things can change in a hurry here, though. This is just a projection based off the latest roster moves. If the Saints sign another qualifying comp free agent (a player whose last contract expired, and who is signed at greater than minimum salary) the scales will balance out and they won’t get this pick for Armstead. That’s why they aren’t getting the fourth rounder they were previously projected to receive after losing free safety Marcus Williams — the corresponding move to sign his replacement Marcus Maye negated that pick.

The comp draft pick formula is still tough to figure out, but we know that its biggest considerations are the contract value signed with a new team and how often the player got on the field with their old team. There are other subtleties to it, sure, but that’s where most of the focus goes.

And the only teams that are awarded comp draft picks are those who have lost more players than they gained. Players who have been released by their old teams do not factor into the formula. For years, the Saints were aggressive in free agency under Sean Payton and didn’t qualify for comp picks. That tide has turned a bit in recent years, with New Orleans receiving three comp picks in 2021 and two in 2022.

So, yeah, it’s worth monitoring what New Orleans does next in free agency. Obviously that’s the case regardless of comp pick considerations. But if the Saints are smart about this, they can add some good players who won’t jeopardize future comp picks — like slot receiver Jarvis Landry, offensive guard/tackle Billy Turner, and tight end Kyle Rudolph. Any player cut by their last team could be signed and keep that Armstead pick in play.

At the same time, the Saints have some free agents who could tip the scales further in their favor. Wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, linebacker Kwon Alexander, and defensive back P.J. Williams are all testing the open market, and if signed by a new team to a contract valued at roughly $3.5 million or more, the Saints could better protect that Armstead pick and recoup the fourth rounder for Marcus Williams. Clearly it isn’t a guarantee that those free agents will earn that kind of money, but it’s possible. If nothing else it goes to show that this is a complicated situation.

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Saints awarded two compensatory picks in 2022 NFL draft

2022 NFL compensatory picks: The Saints have been awarded with two selections in the upcoming draft’s third round:

Bang: the NFL awarded compensatory picks for the 2022 draft on Friday, and the New Orleans Saints were one big beneficiary. They received two extra selections as compensation for departures lost during the 2021 offseason, adding both picks in round three.

We knew the Saints would be getting a compensatory pick in the third round after personnel executive Terry Fontenot accepted the Atlanta Falcons’ general manager job — the NFL’s new incentivized program for developing minority candidates for executive positions guarantees teams that lose those candidates will receive a pair of third rounders, one in the current draft and another in the subsequent cycle.

Last year, the Saints used the first compensatory pick returned for Fontenot’s departure to trade up and select cornerback Paulson Adebo. This year, let’s consider it a replacement for the third rounder the Saints traded for backup corner Bradley Roby.

Now we’ll get into the real news. New Orleans was projected to receive a compensatory fourth rounder after losing pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency last year; despite his high salary and impressive performance during the 2021 season, the formula considers how often players got on the field for their previous teams. However, that was still enough for the Saints to recoup a third rounder, not a fourth as was projected.

With that said: the Saints were also expected to net a compensatory sixth round pick to account for the loss of defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. His more modest salary with the New York Jets slotted the Saints on the back end of compensatory picks recipients here. Unfortunately that projected comp pick in round six did not convey with so many higher-valued contracts ahead of him.

So with all that in mind: here are the draft picks the Saints can work with in 2022:

  • Round 1 (18th overall)
  • Round 2 (49)
  • Round 3 (98), compensatory
  • Round 3 (101), compensatory
  • Round 4 (120)
  • Round 5 (161)
  • Round 7 (237)

Additionally, here are where the Saints’ future picks stand in the next two cycles:

  • 2023 draft: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
  • 2024 draft: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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