The Seahawks might have parted with a 2011 sixth-round choice while handing a 2011 seventh-rounder to Arizona -- all for Sean Morey.
John Clayton's latest mailbag brought to mind the possibilities.
By Clayton's calculations, the Seahawks appeared in line for fourth- and sixth-round choices in 2011 based on their gains and losses in free agency through the weekend. Seattle had lost unrestricted free agents Nate Burleson and Cory Redding without signing a UFA from another team. Morey's signing Monday changes the equation because he was a UFA. As Clayton notes, the equation could change further if the Seahawks sign additional UFAs such as Ben Hamilton or Chester Pitts.
That might be OK with the Seahawks. They'll be happy if Morey and any other UFAs they sign play extensively and produce for them. But if the Cardinals were going to part with Morey anyway, they were better off having him sign as a UFA.
Arizona has signed Rex Hadnot and Paris Lenon in free agency after losing Karlos Dansby. Morey's departure as a UFA could help Arizona's compensatory equation.
These projections change as teams continue to make moves in free agency. But with the most desirable UFAs off the market, teams might be wise to consider future compensatory choices when choosing between UFAs and veterans who were released or came available by other means.
Last offseason, the Cardinals' decision to sign UFA fullback Jason Wright might have cost the team a 2010 third- or fourth-round compensatory choice for losing Antonio Smith, according to detailed projections from AdamJT13.