Steven Montez gets it. When Mel Tucker decided to leave Colorado State for Michigan State, the former Buffaloes quarterback saw it as an offer too good to resist.

Tucker opted to become the head coach at Michigan State when he received an offer worth over $5 million per year, as well as a staff pool of around $6 million. His contract, as well as the university’s willingness to make an investment in Tucker’s assistants, was almost too good to be true. Both amounts doubled what the head coach was allotted at Colorado, making the decision to leave a bit easier.

Montez says he doesn’t blame Tucker for taking the opportunity in East Lansing.

“You can’t blame a guy for wanting to double his salary,” Montez told reporters during interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “I love that guy to death.”

Tucker left Colorado after just one season, prompting some outrage from various players, parents, staff and fans. His move was criticized primarily because, after turning down MSU’s initial offer, Tucker announced he planned to stay at Colorado and work on building the program.

Obviously, his sudden departure didn’t sit well with some.

But Montez doesn’t hold any ill will towards his former head coach, and understands it was a business decision that Tucker simply could refuse.