Could the NFL consider a “most important player” tag?

In the wake of Aaron Rodgers’ new history making deal, some question how one NFL player can literally be worth $110 million.

From a football perspective, this can be understood. Yet at the same time from the blue collar 9-5 working man’s perspective, this is probably a little much. While watching the draft this weekend, I couldnt help but wonder, “should each team have a ‘Most Important Player’ tag separate from their team’s payroll?”

A few weeks back, I wrote an article questioning whether or not Rodgers’ next deal would potentially hamstring the organization moving forward. While this deal is absolutely monumental at first glance, Ted Thompson has structured it in a way to be as cap-friendly as it probably could have been moving forward. It’s probably safe to assume this deal is about as team-friendly as it could have been, as well.

I want to explore a tag option, however, that’s separate from the franchise tag.

Deals such as the one Rodgers received are becoming more of a trend within the league. This type of deal will not be going away anytime soon and it’s only a matter of time before Rodgers deal takes a backseat to the next “highest paid player in the NFL.”

To ease the burden of this on a team’s given salary cap, why not come up with a separate tag (maybe a most important player tag) that keeps them exempt from the original payroll? While this idea may currently seem a bit far-fetched, as I said before, these “mega-contracts” will not be ending anytime soon and this type of tag could help ease the blow of such lucrative numbers.

Don’t get me wrong, I am as big a fan of Rodgers as the next Packers fan and this is more speculation or thinking out loud more than anything. A deal such as his creates an interesting scenario for the league as to whether or not deals such as this should be separate from the rest of the team’s.

Aaron Rodgers’ new deal was surprisingly “cap-friendly.” Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It’s also probably safe to say that at least half (probably more like three-fourths) of the teams’ most important players are all quarterbacks.

If not now, probably sooner than later. We’ve heard the phrase “it’s a quarterback-driven league” for some time now. Teams realize who their best player is – it’s no secret, and they obviously pay them as such. Why not distinguish them as such?

So have at it Packers Nation! Should the league create a separate tag (aside from the franchise tag) recognizing teams’ most important players?