Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller has made quite the name for himself this week at the NFL Combine. Miller ultimately decided to opt out of participating in Combine drills, but he still showed up for team interviews and media sessions as well.
He gave Georgia countless sound bites that will make everyone proud that he is a Georgia Bulldog, but the greatest thing he said might’ve been when that he "left money" on the table to return to Georgia.
"I knew I left a lot of money on the table. I knew I wanted to graduate. I knew I wanted to be a leader for the team, a captain for the team. And I just knew I wasn't ready to be an NFL player yet."
Why did Christen Miller Leave MONEY💰 on the Table to Return to Georgia?🤔#GeorgiaFootball #UGA #UGAFootball #GoDawgs #GeorgiaBulldogs pic.twitter.com/PqayqW2Qce
— UGASports.com (@ugasportscom) February 26, 2026
Christen Miller made a big sacrifice to return to Georgia
In a world where countless college football players look to enter the Transfer Portal every year to make more money, Miller was thinking about something else last year. Last offseason he was debating if he should leave Georgia and enter the NFL Draft instead of retruning to Athens for one more year.
Moving to the NFL would've meant a big pay raise for him, and he certainly would've been drafted at some point. But he decided that returning to Georgia for one more year was in his best interest.
Miller shared in the above video that he knew he wasn't ready to be a pro last year. He knew he had the physical abilities to be a pro, but he didn't think he was mature enough to take that next step. Now that is about the most mature decision any player could make.
Fast forward one year and it's clear that he is ready to make the jump to the NFL now. Just hearing him speak about this decision proves how much he has matured over the last year and that he is certainly ready to be a pro now.