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          NFL Nation

          Packers' Corey Linsley, Richard Rodgers get $1 million raises for 2017

          • Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff WriterJan 27, 2017, 05:45 PM
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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. – Two members of the Green Bay Packers' 2014 draft class will receive significant raises in 2017.

          Tight end Richard Rodgers and center Corey Linsley both will see their salaries spike to $1.838 million for next season because they qualified for the salary escalators available to players drafted in Rounds 3-7, according to NFL Players Association contract information. The raises come in the final year of the contract if they play at least 35 percent of the offensive or defensive snaps in two of their first three seasons.

          The “proven performance escalator” was a provision in the rookie wage scale that was added to the collective bargaining agreement in 2011.

          Rodgers (a third-round pick) and Linsley (a fifth-round pick) were scheduled to make $690,000 next season. Rodgers has played in all 48 regular-season games since he entered the league. Linsley started the first 38 of a possible 48 games. He started the first 29 games of his career and then regained his starting job in Week 9 of this season after he came off the PUP list with a hamstring injury.

          The salaries are not guaranteed. They would have to make the opening-day roster (or be on injured reserve) to qualify.

          Two other members of the 2014 class still with the Packers who could have received the raise did not meet the playing-time minimums. Cornerback Demetri Goodson (fifth round) and receiver Jeff Janis (seventh round) will still make the $690,000 minimum if they make the team next season. Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (first round) and receiver Davante Adams (second round) are not eligible for the raises.

          Three other players from that draft class are no longer with the team: defensive end Khyri Thornton (third round), linebacker Carl Bradford (fourth round) and receiver Jared Abbrederis.

          Last year, tackle David Bakhtiari and safety Micah Hyde both qualified from the 2013 draft class. The previous year, defensive tackle Mike Daniels was the lone member to qualify from the 2012 draft class. Bakhtiari and Daniels both went on to sign long-term extensions during the final seasons of their rookie deals. Hyde will be a free agent this offseason.