Before he even made any moves as the general manager of the LA Chargers, Joe Hortiz made it clear how much he valued compensatory picks. Hortiz expressed how important these picks can be for roster building and ever since, Chargers fans have been watching free agency closely to see what picks the team could get in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Prior to Sunday's Denzel Perryman signing, the Chargers had two sixth-round picks thanks to Kenneth Murray and Gerald Everett's contracts with their new teams. Perryman's $3 million contract did cancel out one of those picks, though, giving the Chargers just one projected compensatory pick.
The Chargers may have gotten that pick back on Monday, though, via a surprising source. Cornerback Michael Davis agreed to a deal with the Washington Commanders that may offset the Perryman contract, giving the Chargers that second sixth-round pick back.
Davis is coming off a season where he was one of the worst cornerbacks in the entire league, so it is surprising to see him sign this early in free agency. Ultimately, Washington may have been willing to sign Davis so early because of a very specific connection to the team's run game coordinator, Anthony Lynn.
Michael Davis, Austin Ekeler and Anthony Lynn: Washington Commanders
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) March 18, 2024
Also: #compwatch?
Anthony Lynn may have helped gift the Chargers a compensatory pick
The exact price of the deal is still unknown but it just needs to be a $3 million AAV for it to offset the Perryman signing and give the Chargers two compensatory picks. As bad as Davis was last season, if he is signing this early then it likely will be for at least $3 million.
Lynn obviously will not be coaching Davis directly as he is only on the offensive side of the ball but his relationship with the cornerback had to play a role. Relationships are a pertinent part of the free agency process and the Commanders specifically have proven that they value those connections.
Washington already signed Austin Ekeler to work directly with Lynn and the team has also brought in several former Dallas Cowboys to play under head coach Dan Quinn. The team is obviously seeking out players who the coaching staff is familiar with, hence why Davis was signed.
Getting any kind of compensatory help for Davis leaving is a massive win for the Bolts. It was never in the cards for him to return this season and quite frankly, it seemed unlikely that he would end up factoring into the equation at all this offseason.