Squawk,
Hopefully you are happy with the decision. I was in your exact shoes several years ago and went to a regional. One aspect that people have not posted about is simply if you enjoy airline type flying. I was a pilot in a herc unit but was eager to enter and experience the 121 world. I found I enjoyed it tremendously and even with the lower pay, my overall satisfaction was higher. Also, you may have older guys who were hired at a major back in the 90's with a couple hundred hours of copilot herc time but I don't think we will ever see that again. There are now literally thousands of regional pilots with lots of jet PIC time that didn't exist back than and I think (personal opinion) it makes t-prop time less competitive. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it!