Now, the tag number is determined by a mind-numbing formula that takes into account salaries over five years and their percentage of the overall cap in those years. As a result, the franchise numbers have dipped.

While the figures for next season have not been set, the salary for a franchised quarterback is expected to be around $14.6 million. It was $16.1 million in 2011, a number that was elevated because the previous season had been an uncapped year.

Most players and agents dread the franchise tag because, while the money is good and guaranteed, the contract offers no long-term security. A significant injury during the franchise year would send a player into free agency with a likelihood of diminished earnings, rather than a chance at the lucrative contract he might have received if he had been allowed to test the market the previous year.

“I’m very, very disappointed that the numbers have gone down,” Canter said. “I’m disappointed it’s become a much easier device for teams to wield against players. It’s a scare tactic and a power tactic by the team. ‘If you don’t agree to our lousy deal, we’ll slap the tag on you, and you know you’re risking injury.’ You’ve earned your right to test the market. It’s creating an animosity and a wall that happens so often with the franchise tag.”

Complicating decisions about the tag this year is that the salary cap is again expected to rise only slightly, to about $123 million, forcing many teams to cut still-viable veterans whose salary figures have risen. There will most likely be some hesitation to use the tag on any but the most indispensable players.

Some agents said during the combine that they feared a class system would result from the flat cap: that the elite 15 percent of N.F.L. players would receive top dollar and the rest of the league, forming the backbone of rosters, would be disappointed by the deals offered in free agency, with a market flush with talented players looking for jobs.