Big contracts = big pressure

[mike340]

Different people react to pressure in different ways. And individuals react to different types of pressure in different ways.

I could easily see if someone got a contract that was more than they felt they deserved (but that their agent had managed to negotiate) that they would feel that they had to perform better than before. (Of course they could not state publicly that they felt they were overpaid.) So part of their mind (even when playing) would always be worried. As I have found that worry is my biggest obstacle to superior performance, I could imagine it would be for them as well. Once they accept that their prior level of play is good enough, the pressure reduces to just the normal game-day pressure that they're used to. Apparently Carter has accomplished this with dramatic results on the field of play.

In summary, a smaller contract keeps the pressure to what happens on the field. In this case the player has direct control of his destiny and only one thing to think about. A larger contract puts on the additional pressure of how the player's performance is perceived.