N/S Jamie Collins to the Browns [MERGED]

JackDiesel said

He's a FA at the end of the year, had they let him go in FA he would have gotten them a compensatory 3rd round pick. So essentially all they did was trade their best defensive player in the middle of a playoff run to move up 30 or so spots in the 3rd round.

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Possibly. While it wouldn't fit the mold of how the Patriots do things, it's not a guarantee he'd garner a 3rd rounder compensatory pick. For one thing, he could suffer a significant injury, face league discipline for some future item, etc. Not saying that's likely, but this is an insurance policy against this. Secondly, they could sign players that ultimately offset his loss, since it's a portion of the formula. Since the Patriots don't often shell out for free agents, it may seem unlikely, but again, it's an insurance policy.

Obviously the question is did they cash in that policy at the right time when things, or will it haunt them not to have it later. I guess only time will tell.