Jaylon Smith has no regrets about bowl game

When debating what we should all think of Christian McCaffrey's (and to a lesser extent Leonard Fournette's) decision to sit out his bowl game, a top example used this week (including by me) was what happened to Jaylon Smith in his bowl game: A brutal injury that likely cost him millions and deeply affected at least the start of his career.

But as he told U SA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero earlier this year, Smith, has no regrets.

He reiterated that on Twitter on Monday:

It's a similar sentiment to the one held by another former college player, Mel Bratton, I spoke to on Monday. Bratton, who injured his knee and fell from a likely first round pick to a sixth round pick told me he wouldn't have traded playing in the bowl game - even though he knew how the story ends.

"Even if it wasn't a championship, I just saw Ezekiel Elliott's tweet (where he said) he would give anything to play one last snap with his brothers and I totally agree with him," he said.

None of this, of course, definitively means that McCaffrey should play in a bowl that will really only be remembered among his teammates. Because while Smith and Bratton may be at peace with their decisions, it's one that every NFL-hopeful player has to make on their own.