I see it as the total opposite, they are taking a huge risk for little reward. What is the upside on this deal? They are paying him 14 mil a year for those 3 years, so even if he is great there isn't huge surplus value. Whereas he could very well turn into poo again or get injured and be worth nothing. The better play is to let him play out his deal and if he's awesome then great, you got 2 good years for cheap and still have a chance to resign him. If he walks then you still have the $14 mil to use on someone else.