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          NFL Nation

          Aaron Rodgers is a victim of NFL salary system, and that's not likely to change

          Aaron Rodgers is the fifth-highest paid quarterback in the league based on his $22 million average per year, but one could only wonder what he could get on the open market. EPA/LARRY W. SMITH
          • Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff WriterMar 8, 2017, 03:00 PM ET
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              Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA. You can follow him on Twitter at @RobDemovsky.
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          GREEN BAY, Wis. -- In some ways, a player like Aaron Rodgers -- and there are few like him -- is a victim of the NFL salary system.

          He signed his last contract extension, which added five years and $110 million to the deal he signed in 2008 (his first year as a starter), in the spring of 2013. That deal still has three more seasons -- 2017, 2018 and 2019 -- left on it.

          And even though he's still the fifth-highest paid quarterback in the league based on his $22 million average per year, he'll probably never come close to being paid what his true market value would be if he were a free agent today.

          It's no wonder Rodgers sounded at the very least miffed by the quarterback salary hierarchy during an appearance on ESPN Wisconsin's Wilde & Tausch radio show on Wednesday.

          Rodgers is right in this regard: If an unproven quarterback like Mike Glennon, who wasn't even a starter last season, could get in the neighborhood of $15 million a year in free agency this year, then a two-time MVP quarterback who's on top of his game at age 33 should be able to wonder what he's worth.

          That Rodgers still ranks among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL based on his average per year is a testament to the value of the contract he signed nearly four years ago. And the fact that his salary-cap charge never exceeds $21.1 million is a credit to how the Green Bay Packers' front office structured the deal.

          It has stood the test of time perhaps better than could have been expected simply because of how many quarterbacks have cashed in since then. Rodgers ranks behind only Andrew Luck ($24.594 million), Drew Brees ($24.250 million), Kirk Cousins ($23.944 million) and Joe Flacco ($22.133 million) in average per year.

          However, this season Rodgers will make $13.650 million (a $12.55 million base salary plus a $600,000 roster bonus and a $500,000 workout bonus). That puts him at No. 15 among quarterbacks in total cash for the 2017 season. Next season, his pay jumps to $20.9 million, which currently ranks first among quarterbacks for 2018.

          The Packers could restructure Rodgers' deal, and they'd probably be able to gain some salary-cap space given how creative vice president of football administration/player finance Russ Ball is with contracts. But that would only hold up for so long. Eventually, the next big quarterback contract will dwarf it. And the next one will dwarf that. And so on and so on.