He probably figures he earned it by performing so well in the lead-up to the long-term commitment

My sports fan buddies complain about athletes who sign a 5-year contract and then stop performing at the level they established before they got such a long-term commitment.

I wonder if any of them reached this conclusion while lying on their couch on a Saturday night with a beer in their hand watching a ballgame while their wife watches a Rom-Com in their bedroom, wondering what happened to the romantic guy she married.