The San Francisco 49ers brought in free agent defensive tackle Terrell McClain for a visit on Monday, but have yet to sign him to a contract. McClain is one of quite a few veteran free agents still on the market that likely will not sign until after 1 p.m. PT today.
The reason for that is the NFL’s compensatory pick formula. When an unrestricted free agent (who was not released before his contract expired) signs with a new team, he counts as an addition for that new team and a loss by his old team. The NFL hands out comp picks to teams who have more losses than additions.
The comp pick formula does not use players signed to minimum contracts, and it also does not include players after a certain date in May. The league used to have a June 1st deadline for this, but that has been bumped up to early May. Last year it was on May 9th, and this year it’s today, May 8th.
If Eric Reid signs with a new team moving forward, he will not count as a loss on the 49ers comp pick formula. If the 49ers sign McCalin after 1 p.m. PT today, he will not count as an addition in the 49ers comp pick formula.