re: Which scenario would you take as a professional athlete?

Option A easily. All you're playing for is a CHANCE at a championship. The Patriots, as competitive as they've been, went 10 years in between super bowl wins. Meanwhile, the Saints for instance were a perennial cellar dweller who won a super bowl in that 10 year period. You would have never predicted that in 2005. The NFL specifically has so much fluctuation that it's easier to take the money and hope that the pendulum swings in your favor in the 10 years you're playing