Todd Monken said if he was going to return to the NFL, it would have to be a situation that reminded him of the one he walked into at Georgia three years ago.

The opportunity to become the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens fit the bill.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Monken said the chance to join John Harbaugh’s staff in Baltimore was too good to pass up.

“If I was going to do it, it was gonna be somewhere that was parallel to Georgia,” Monken told reporters. "Part of the reason I went to Georgia, one of the main reasons was because of culture, the head coach, winning plus was really good on defense but obviously trying to find a way to do better on offense.”

In that respect, Monken felt the Ravens were a perfect match. He took the job despite being one of the top-paid assistants in college football, earning just north of $2 million last year.

“I thought that was a parallel but I thought fit me, so irrespective of who was or wasn't gonna be on the roster, I felt like it was it was something I really wanted to do,” Monken said. “That doesn't mean that I'm not grateful for Kirby Smart and the coaches that I worked with there. I get way too much credit for our success. I came in there and the culture was already set the players have already recruited the staff that we put together was tremendous in terms of our success.”

Monken’s three years in Athens saw the Bulldogs average 32 (2020), 38.6 (2021), and 41.07 (2022) points per game.

“This was what was next. Can't be two places at once that's just the way it is sometimes in life,” Monken said. “That was a great job and (leaving) was hard because you get close to the players."