Pedroia took less because he loves the game and wants to help his team in every way possible. This is a quote directly from him after he signed his deal.
"What can't I do with $40 million that I could do with $100 million? At some point, you have to stop and say, 'Listen, I'm a regular human being.' Do I need a Bentley? Absolutely not. I don't care about those kinds of things. But does this set my family and my kids up forever? Absolutely."