Georgia OC Todd Monken set to interview for NFL job, and that’s OK

Georgia football offensive coordinator Todd Monken has revolutionized the Bulldog offense since his arrival in 2020. His pro-style spread offense has been crucial in Georgia winning back-to-back National Championships.

Monken has also been instrumental in developing Stetson Bennett from a former walk-on quarterback to arguably the best signal-caller in program history.

In 2022, Bennett became the first quarterback in Georgia football history to throw for over 4,000 passing yards in a season. He was also the team’s first Heisman finalist in over 30 years.

Monken was asked about his future prior to the National Championship game against TCU:

"“I’ve learned over the years to not really think about what’s next because you don’t know that…”“I’m always humble when someone thinks enough of me — I’m humbled that someone thinks enough of me to interview me for any job. All I’ve done is what I’ve ever wanted to do and that’s be involved with football.”"

Other job opportunities were bound to come Monken’s way, and today it was reported that he will be interviewing for a job in the NFL.

The Buccaneers, who are two years removed from winning a Super Bowl, parted ways with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich after four seasons. They averaged just 18 points per game last season, and quarterback Tom Brady finished with a career-low 52.6 QBR rating. Despite finishing with an 8-9 record, they still won the NFC South division and made the playoffs.

Monken is no stranger to Tampa Bay, as he spent three seasons (2016-18) as the offensive coordinator for the team. In 2018, the team averaged 25 ppg and finished top five in multiple passing categories. Both James Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick combined for 5,358 yards and 36 touchdown passes that season.

If Monken were to leave, don’t panic Georgia fans. Take this advice from Aaron Rodgers:

Yes, it would sting if Monken were to leave, but this won’t be the first time Georgia has lost an important coordinator in Kirby Smart’s tenure.

I’m sure many of us were worried prior to the 2019 season when defensive coordinator Mel Tucker left to take the head coaching job at Colorado. The defense did not skip a beat when Dan Lanning took over for the next couple of years.

Despite Lanning’s departure at the end of the 2021 season, as well as a plethora of defensive players to the NFL, similar concerns were expressed amongst Dawg nation. However, the defense was still elite in 2022 and played a big role in helping Georgia capture its second straight title.

If Monken leaves for the Buccaneers or another NFL job, you can bet that several top offensive minds will be flooding Kirby Smart’s office with their resumes. Georgia will be okay, and so will the offense.