While there will be players like Darelle Revis who think anything less than $15 per year in a down economy is a "slap in the face", there was also a guy by the name of Pat Tillman who once gave up his NFL career and millions of dollars.
In any case, it's nice to know that there is a NJ/NY area team called the NHL's Devils where future Hall of Fame players actually sign "below market value" contracts because they want the team to sign other great players.