Joe Flacco, Sebastian Vollmer Among Big Names on NFL Market Expected to Receive Franchise Tags (Photos)

NFL free agency is still a little less than a month away, but the offseason spending spree is already set to get underway.

Monday marked the first day that teams could place the franchise tag on eligible players. Last season saw a record 21 players slapped with the pricey designation, but we likely won’t see quite as many free-agents-to-be tagged this time around. Still, there are plenty of players more than worthy of the label and the lofty pay raise that comes with it.

The franchise tag pays the average of the top five salaries at a given position, but most players slapped with the tag are well worth it.

Wes Welker and Dwayne Bowe were two of the big free agents hit with the tag last season, and both would be in line for a 20 percent raise if franchised for a second straight year.  There are plenty of other big-name players scheduled to hit free agency this offseason, and most of them will likely be tagged before free agency starts on March 12.

Click here to see the top 10 players most likely to get tagged >>

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