It looked as recently as two weeks ago like one of the most attractive classes since the NFL adopted true free agency nearly 20 years ago — and not just because of the expected presence of Peyton Manning.
Drew Brees? Wes Welker? Ray Rice? DeSean Jackson?
The list read like check-in day at the Pro Bowl, but reality — also known as the franchise-player designation and the new collective bargaining agreement — threw a big bucket of cold water on any teams thinking they could be a football version of the Yankees and buy a Lombardi Trophy when free agency opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Thanks in large part to the CBA, which drastically reduced the share of league revenues available for salaries, a record 21 free-agents-to-be — including Brees, Welker, Rice and Jackson — were taken off the market last week by the franchise tag.
Even so, league executives and coaches remain intrigued and impressed by what is expected to be available when the gates finally swing open. Due mostly to salary-cap considerations with their previous teams, a strong crop led by Manning, pass-rush ace Mario Williams, sure-handed receiver Vincent Jackson and ball-hawking cornerback Cortland Finnegan should be there for the taking.
Even the rarest of NFL rarities — a top-notch restricted free agent changing teams — appears likely to happen this year. The cap kept the Steelers from franchising Mike Wallace, and several teams appear willing to fork over the first-round pick and big contract necessary to steal the big-play receiver from Ben Roethlisberger & Co.
Except for left tackle, one of the most difficult positions to acquire franchise-level talent in free agency, talented players under age 30 likely are to be available at every key spot.
“There’s some real depth in free agency this year that you don’t normally see,” 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said at the scouting combine last week. “It’s impressive pretty much across the board.”
Even after you take Manning out of the equation, the crop of quarterbacks is considered a little deeper than usual with promising Packers backup Matt Flynn joined by Alex Smith, Chad Henne, Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell, although Smith still is expected to wind up returning to the 49ers.
Complicating the situation is the league, which as of Friday — just four days before the scheduled start of free agency — still had not announced the official cap number for next season to the teams.
That figure is expected to be around $122 million per team, but league sources said the absence of certainty so late in the game hampered internal preparations for free agency.
Nevertheless, there will be several teams — not including the Giants and Jets — in prime position under the cap to make a splash in free agency if they choose. Half the league’s 32 teams are poised to enter the period with at least $20 million in expected room under the cap, with the Broncos, Chiefs, Bengals and Buccaneers each boasting an eye-popping $60 million or more in available space.
As a result, the players lucky enough to avoid the tag likely will cash in, especially ones under the age of 30 at positions not normally known for generating big payouts.
That group likely is to be led by former Saints guard Carl Nicks, who reportedly is headed to the Cowboys thanks to a huge deal, and Texans center Chris Meyers, who many scouts say rivals Jets center Nick Mangold as the best player in the league at that spot.
Of course, the biggest money still will be reserved for the marquee positions — quarterback, pass-rush specialist and cornerback. Flynn could get $50 million or more guaranteed despite starting just two games in his NFL career, and Williams and Finnegan should make sure they have big enough wallets for the boatload of cash headed their way soon.
No wonder Brees, Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee and several others reportedly were livid at getting the franchise tag. The real money is in guaranteed bonuses that come with long-term free agent deals.
“I do believe there is going to be a lot of movement in free agency because of the sheer numbers of this year’s class,” Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said. “Even without the franchise guys, it’s huge.”
bhubbuch@nypost.com