Once again, the New Orleans Saints did not receive any compensatory draft picks on Monday. The NFL awards compensatory picks to teams that lose more or better qualifying free agents than they acquire the year before.

Since the exact formula is not known (it's based on a combination of salary, playing time and postseason honors), there was some thought the Saints might qualify for a late seventh-round pick. Alas, they were shut out.

If I understand the formula correctly, the qualifying free agents the Saints signed last year were safety Jairus Byrd and fullback Erik Lorig, while they lost safety Malcolm Jenkins, center Brian de la Puente and offensive tackle Charles Brown. Byrd's lofty salary must have evened the scales. Players released by the team, traded or non-tenders as restricted free agents don't count as part of the formula. Nor do additions made after June 1.

Since they're often so aggressive in free agency, the Saints have not received a compensatory pick since 2011. Before that, it was 2006 (which turned into receiver Marques Colston). New Orleans has received only 10 compensatory picks since the system began in 1994. Only the Cleveland Browns (six) have received less.

The Saints still have nine picks in this year's draft, though, after their recent flurry of trades (two 1st-rounders, one 2nd-rounder, two 3rd-rounders, two 5th-rounders, a 6th-rounder and a 7th-rounder).