5.5 years seems like a pretty bad decision long term even for a player this quality BUT if they've frontloaded the contract (Or are maybe assuming some kind of potential coaching transition?) I think it makes a lot more sense. Without that, this has huge upside but is a huge risk. 3 years from now we could have someone whose form is dropping significantly, who may be an injury risk with age, with a contract nobody will touch with 3 years left. I hope and assume they've been smarter than that