Where is Matt Millen now?
DURHAM, Pa. (BVM) – With the recent firing of Detroit Tigers GM Al Avila, the debate of “who is the worst GM in Detroit sports history?” is a hot topic. On one side, many say that no one has been worse for Detroit than former Lions GM Matt Millen.
Depending on which era of his career you look at, the phrase “Matt Millen 2.0” can either be a really good or a really bad thing. Although Millen is a Las Vegas Raiders legend and four-time Super Bowl champion, his name is forever synonymous with the list of worst GMs in modern sports history.
Millen is 14 years removed from his general manager position with the Lions. So, what has he been up to and where is he now?
Matt Millen’s NFL career
Millen has worked hard to restore his name to what he was known for before the 2000s. Millen played defensive tackle at Penn State from 1976 to 1979. He currently ranks as one of the all-time sack leaders in Nittany Lions history with 22.
After a stellar college career, the linebacker was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft. The rest became history for Millen who to this day is still tied for the NFL record for most Super Bowl rings with different teams.
Years Matt Millen won the Super Bowl:
- Super Bowl XV in 1981 with the Oakland Raiders
- Super Bowl XVIII in 1984 with the Los Angeles Raiders
- Super Bowl XXIV in 1990 with the San Francisco 49ers
- Super Bowl XXVI in 1992 with the Washington Redskins
He finished his 12-year playing career after the 1991 season. In 180 career games, he started 166 games and recorded 17 sacks with nine interceptions.
CEO of the Detroit Lions
In the years after his retirement as a player in the NFL, Millen worked as a commentator for NFL on Fox and was a color commentator for Monday Night Football.
He left broadcasting in 2001 to take on the role of general manager of the Detroit Lions. From awful coaches hired to even worse draft decisions under his leadership, the Lions posted a 31-84 record over his seven season-reign (2001 to 2007). The team’s .270 winning percentage was plastered in headlines as the worst ever compiled by an NFL team over a seven-year period in recent history.
Millen was fired as CEO in 2008. His name will forever be brought up by sports fans in the list of worst GMs in the history of modern sports. Especially in Detroit, fans will always compare the Matt Millen era to the Al Avila era; the debate is there for fans to hash out on who is the worst GM in Detroit sports history.
Where is Matt Millen now?
Millen fell ill in the years after retiring from GM. In 2017, he was diagnosed with amyloidosis which is a rare disease that affects the heart and other organs due to the buildup of amyloid proteins. His health declined to the point where he needed a life-saving heart transplant. In 2018, when he was 60 years old, Millen underwent a successful heart transplant surgery.
So how is Millen’s health now?
He shared his healing journey nearly a year after his surgery in a video interview posted by the Big Ten Network. Cameras followed him around as he walked up a steep hill just five months after his transplant and as he returned to work as a broadcaster.
Although there is no cure for the disease, the now 64-year-old has been able to stay on his feet and is living as healthy of a life as possible. He was recently announced as a part of the 2022 college football broadcast lineup for the Big Ten Network. He will call his first game of the season on Sept. 1 when Minnesota hosts New Mexico State.
From Raiders legend to Lions disgrace, Millen’s net worth is $10 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. Millen isn’t letting his health stop him from continuing his legacy in football. He has four adult children with his wife, Patricia, and the couple is said to live in Durham, Pa.
