If it happens, I won't be looking at the bump in salary (or lack thereof), I'll be looking at the buyout.
Good point. Phil has a lot of leverage.
If we use Phil himself as an example, I thought the extension and raise that Hamilton gave him in spring of 2008 was too much. Then turned around and fired him right away.
If you're going to fire Holly now, fire her. If not, then the extension and buyout should be modest.
What might be telling is how long the negotiations drag on. I have seen cases like this go into the season. If I was Phil, I wouldn't be in a big hurry to ink anything. Unless he thinks it might have a big effect on this year's recruiting. But even then, let's not make a multi year mistake to save one recruiting class....