Declined team options no longer count in NFL's compensatory pick formula

Earlier this week, the Eagles informed Nigel Bradham that they would not exercise his 2020 option. The next day, they released him outright. The Eagles changed their plans due to a recent change in the compensatory pick formula, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com hears. Under the previous system, a player with a declined team option would count as a compensatory free agent for the club. This change, first reported by Over The Cap’s Brad Spielberger, was only just relayed to the Eagles this week. The Broncos benefited from the option trick in 2017, when they declined Russell Okung's team option and scored a third-round compensatory pick in 2018. It’s a seemingly minor revision to the rule, but it could nudge teams toward keeping players or, as was the case with the Eagles and Bradham, allowing those players to reach free agency before the start of the league year.

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