College football insider explains reasoning behind Todd Monken leaving Georgia

Another high-level SEC offensive coordinator is off to the NFL, with Todd Monken leaving Georgia in favor of the Baltimore Ravens. Monken will forever be thought of highly in Athens, helping win back-to-back national championships. With Stetson Bennett running the show, the Bulldogs were one of the country’s top offenses.

Even with all of the success, Monken still wanted to make the move back to the NFL. Seth Emerson of The Athletic explained the decision, citing the daily grind of a college job. Offensive game planning and development is just a fraction of the job description, having to recruit on a 24/7 basis.

Emerson made it sound like Monken was ready for a lighter load.

“Todd Monken, like any coaches that go NFL to college, discover they have a lot more on their plate in college,” Emerson said during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show. “The recruiting and all other facets that come with it, make it a real 52-week job… The NFL, you got more off time. You can just coach. You have to do some draft evaluation… I think Todd Monken was ready to go back.”

When Monken joined Georgia in 2020, he had just finished a tenure with the Cleveland Browns. Nothing went well then, leaving him without an opportunity at the NFL level. Kirby Smart gave Monken the opportunity to build his resume back up.

“I think he was happy to be at Georgia, I think it helped burnish his reputation again after a year in Cleveland in 2019 — it didn’t end well there,” Emerson said. “So, he wasn’t getting NFL offensive coordinator nibbles at that point. But he did it at Georgia. He won two rings and I think he’s happy to go back to the NFL which is less of a grind.”

Todd Monken preferred Baltimore over Tampa Bay

Baltimore ended up being the destination but they were not the only option for Monken. Tampa Bay wanted to acquire his services as well, having a reunion of sorts. However, Emerson claims the stability of the Ravens was the deciding factor.

“He only interviewed at two places,” Emerson said. “Tampa Bay — with Brady leaving, Todd Bowles not a firm ground next year. They’re up against the cap. I don’t think Monken was that interested there. But I think he was interested in the Ravens regardless if Lamar Jackson will be back there. John Harbaugh seems to be much more stable there. The Ravens are just kind of a stable organization in general.”

Jackson will enter free agency but both sides seemingly want to make a deal work. Monken could have one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks to work with if a contract extension is given. And then of course there are some elite tight ends with Mark Andrews, something Monken proved he enjoys using while at Georgia.