I believe the formula also includes playing time, and the difference of who replaced them at their position, and compare the numbers. to determine compensation. So it is not garunteed to play out as a third for the Pats, if he leaves. Cassel still has to play well, and I would be curious to know if Tom Brady is considered a "replacement" for Cassel. because if he is, the Pats get nothing. Because there is no one in their right minds, deeming cassel a better player than Brady. So a big question in terms of them franchising Cassel is this, What if brady's knee is so fucked up due to that infection and them having to go back into his knee multiple times, that his ability to play for the majority of next year is in doubt? Do the Pats still franchise cassel and make it almost impossible to sign any one else to their team? God I hope they do. then you are looking at the same team from a year ago essentially. minus a few guys, add in a couple of rookies. and this could be a very, very good thing for the powers to be in the AFCE (aka the jets and the fins)
I think adding players after losing FA would hurt a team's chances for compensatory picks. It stands to reason that if no players were added, there would be a bigger talent loss and more chance to get extra picks. But the whole formula for awarding compensatory picks is shrouded in mystery so it's tough to figure out exactly how it works. I've never seen a web site that can accurately predict what the final results will be. It all remains pretty unclear.
