If there were ever a case for a player to sit out a bowl game, Kerryon Johnson is it.

Coming off an SEC Championship loss in which he didn’t look like himself, Johnson had a built-in excuse if he wanted to sit out the Peach Bowl and not risk his NFL Draft stock. Well, he had several built-in excuses.

Between the shoulder and the rib injuries, Johnson entered the postseason even more banged up than usual. Even if Johnson were healthy, he’d still be a possible first-round running back playing in a bowl game that wasn’t a national championship. Sure, it was still a New Year’s 6 bowl, but considering what Auburn was playing for in the SEC Championship and a week earlier in the Iron Bowl, the Peach Bowl wasn’t the ultimate destination.

If I were a betting man, I would’ve assumed those reasons were enough for Johnson to sit out the Peach Bowl. There would’ve been nothing wrong with that. There wasn’t anything wrong with Leonard Fournette or Christian McCaffrey doing that last year, and there’s nothing wrong with any player who chooses to do so this year.

But instead, Johnson put any thought of that to bed with one tweet:

That question was not one Johnson had to answer on Dec. 15, especially by a random person on Twitter. Considering Gus Malzahn was two days removed saying that he wasn’t sure about Johnson’s status, it was a surprise.

I already respected Johnson for gritting his teeth through those aforementioned injuries and playing the game’s most violent position in the SEC Championship. After seeing him confidently declare his Peach Bowl status, my respect for him reached a new level.

And again, that’s not to say those who sit out bowl games don’t earn respect. But let’s be honest. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to play in a bowl game for someone in Johnson’s shoes. If Danny Kanell or anyone else wants to suggest “that’s not how we did things back in my day,” their words would technically be right, but their application of them would be wrong.

The pre-draft process isn’t like it was 20 years ago. Now, guys like Johnson spend roughly 2 months at training facilities getting in the best shape of their lives for their pro days and the highly-scrutinized NFL Scouting Combine, which wasn’t on TV 20 years ago. The amount of physical and mental evaluations that a potential first-round prospect like Johnson goes through leaves for little margin for error.

As we know, running backs have little margin for error to begin with. A high volume player like Johnson, who averaged 27 touches in his final 10 games, faces as much injury risk as anyone whenever he steps onto the field. And yes, there’s big financial risk even with an insurance policy.

As a likely second-round pick heading into the Orange Bowl last year, former Michigan tight end Jake Butt tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the game and subsequently fell to the fifth round. Even with the insurance policy, Butt lost an estimated $2.8 million because of that Orange Bowl injury, and he was perfectly healthy entering the game.

For running backs, the difference between the second round and the fifth round has major short and long-term ramifications.

Dalvin Cook was the No. 41 pick in last year’s draft, and he earned $6.35 million with $3.79 million guaranteed. Compare that to fifth-round selection Aaron Jones, who signed a deal worth $2.6 million with only $201,948 guaranteed. That guaranteed money matters, especially at the running back position.

RELATED: Paul Finebaum explains why Peach Bowl is must-win game for Auburn

If Johnson does reinjure his shoulder or suffer any other injury in the Peach Bowl, he could just decide that loss of guaranteed money is too great and he’s better off coming back to school for another year. Without going too in depth about the stigma attached to senior skill players, that’s a financial risk, too.

Any way you slice it up, playing in the Peach Bowl is a significant financial risk for Johnson. At this point in the process, he knows that. What’s admirable is that he’s willing to take that chance to help his team finish the season on a high note. Maybe Johnson’s limited SEC Championship performance has something to do with that, and he can’t stomach ending his college career on that kind of note.

Whatever the reason, everyone knows that Auburn is a significantly better football team with No. 21 on the field. If Johnson is “in great shape” as Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said, then Tigers are in great shape, too. Clearly, Johnson was Auburn’s most valuable player and in my opinion, he was the most valuable player in the SEC.

If Johnson does decide to return for his senior year, he’ll shoot to the top of the preseason Heisman Trophy lists. If he decides to leave school early for the NFL, he should be celebrated as one of the best Auburn players of the 21st century.

Either way, though, it sounds like he’s got a few more stiff-arms to throw in the blue and orange.