"Former NFL executives had similar examples. Pioli brought up a contract the Patriots gave running back Corey Dillon after the 2004 season, which ended in a Super Bowl win. Dillon rushed for 1,635 yards that year, and Pioli and the Patriots brass knew they were
buying high on a running back entering his age-31 season. Still, Pioli, vice president of player personnel at the time, says he was confident that rewarding Dillon would play well in the locker room. Another example Pioli gave was Rodney Harrison.
Harrison signed a six-year deal with the Patriots in 2003 after being cut by the Chargers. Harrison was coming off an injury and wanted to go to a good team, so he took a below-market offer from New England.
“He came in and had an incredible year, immediate captain, helped the locker room on a level I can’t even articulate,” Pioli says.
After that season, the Patriots felt the disparity in Harrison’s value and what he was earning was so pronounced it could wind up causing tension between the team and a key player. Standard operating procedure around the league in such cases was to offer an extension that came with more money in exchange for more years, but the Patriots wanted to do something different in Harrison’s case. They gave Harrison a raise of $1.5 million—no strings attached.
“We’re getting a bargain that’s off the charts right now, but let’s just do something that’s going to be a little bit closer to fair market,” Pioli says. “We’re still going to be winning. We don’t need to be pigs and win in a landslide.”
When Pioli told Harrison about the raise, Harrison initially didn’t believe it came without a catch. When Pioli finally convinced him, Harrison got emotional.
“What he became as a leader after that was even more exponential,” Pioli says."