Pats Earn Top Compensatory Pick For Losing Brady

A total of 36 compensatory draft selections in the 2021 NFL Draft have been awarded to 17 teams, the NFL announced Wednesday. 

Tom Brady left the New England Patriots and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leaving his former team with the highest compensatory pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

New England added an additional third- and fourth-round picks in the upcoming draft — Nos. 96 and 140 overall.

They also let Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy go in free agency last year, in addition to letting Brady walk, Yahoo Sports reports.

The league annually gives out a total of 32 picks based on a complex, obscure formula that factors in the net loss of free agents — versus free agents signed — the article details.

The picks are tacked onto the end of the regular order for each round starting with Round 3.

For the first time, teams this year have been awarded compensatory picks for minority coaches and GMs lost to other teams. For the last few years, the NFL has allowed these compensatory picks to be traded.

Bill Belichick's team previously lost its third-round pick this year for the Patriots' illegal recording of the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline in 2019, but with the addition of three compensatory picks, the Patriots now have a total of nine picks overall in this draft.