Add this story to one of the wildest NFL off-seasons ever. On Wednesday evening, NBC Sports’ Peter King broke the news that Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians would be stepping away from his position, to be replaced by defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
Arians told King that his new position in the Bucs’ front office would be “senior consultant for football,”, which will start with Tampa Bay’s 2022 draft preparations.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, this decision had been coming for a while, and Tom Brady was informed of it when he ended his short-term retirement to come back to the team. The team insisted that Arians’ decision was not at all related to Brady’s return.
Tom Brady calling Bruce Arians an “incredible man and coach.” pic.twitter.com/crjqtPBDBq
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) March 31, 2022
“Succession has always been huge for me,” Arians said in a telephone interview with NBC Sports and the Los Angeles Times. “With the organization in probably the best shape it’s been in its history, with Tom Brady coming back … I’d rather see Todd in position to be successful and not have to take some [crappy] job. I’m probably retiring next year anyway, in February. So, I control the narrative right now. I don’t control it next February because [if] Brady gets hurt, we go 10-7, and it’s an open interview for the job … I got 31 [coaches and their] families that depend on me. My wife is big on not letting all those families down.”
Arians said that he started thinking of the eventual decision after the Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, at the end of the 2020 season.
“I thought really hard about going out on top. Then it was like, nah, let’s go for two. [The 2021 season] was a grind with all the injuries but still winning and getting to where we got. Immediately after, two to three weeks afterwards [I thought]… if I quit, my coaches get fired. I couldn’t do it then.
“Tom was kind of the key. When Tom decided to come back … and all of these guys back now, it’s the perfect timing for me just to go into the front office and still have the relationships that I love.”
Arians later issued a statement further explaining his decision.
“I have spent most of the last 50 years of my life on the sidelines as a football coach in one form or another. Today, I have made the decision to move from the sidelines into another role with the Buccaneers front office, assisting [general manager] Jason Licht and his staff. I love football. I love the relationships, the strategy, the competition — everything. It has been one hell of a ride, but I know this is the right time for me to make this transition …
“I really began thinking about my personal transition plan earlier this offseason. I wanted to ensure when I walked away that Todd Bowles would have the best opportunity to succeed. So many head coaches come into situations where they are set up for failure, and I didn’t want that for Todd …
“Before you start thinking this is about my health, don’t. This is the best I have felt in many years and I’m looking forward to helping this team continue winning through my new role.”
It was very important to Arians that Bowles landed his former job. Bowles becomes the sixth head coach of color in the NFL, joining Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh), Ron Rivera (Washington), Robert Saleh (Jets), Mike McDaniel (Miami) and Lovie Smith (Houston), and the fourth Black head coach in franchise history (Tony Dungy, Raheem Morris, Lovie Smith). No other NFL team has had more than three minority head coaches who weren’t interim hired.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Buccaneers have shelved Bowles’ former defensive coordinator contract, and given him a new five-year deal as head coach.
Statement from Bucs new head coach Todd Bowles, who was just given a five-year contract finalized earlier today… pic.twitter.com/RGEOMVwkbz
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) March 31, 2022
Bowles, who had a 2-1 record as the Miami Dolphins’ interim head coach following Tony Sparano in 2011, and a 24-40 record as the New York Jets’ head coach from 2015 through 2018, does indeed come into the best situation he’s ever had as a head coach. He’s already universally respected as one of the NFL’s best defensive minds, and having Arians’ full support with Arians still part of the organization surely doesn’t hurt.
As for the Buccaneers’ offense, which Arians ran with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Brady’s obvious input, it’s likely that Leftwich will retain that position, and perhaps Brady will have a more prominent role in gameplanning on and off the field.
Arians had a 9-3 record as the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach in 2012 after head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with cancer. That led the Arizona Cardinals to hire him as their head coach in 2013, and he amassed a 49-30-1 regular-season record over five years, with a 1-2 postseason mark. In Tampa, Arians won 31 regular-season games to 18 losses, and had a 5-1 postseason record.
Thank you, Bruce, for all you have done for this franchise and our community. pic.twitter.com/e11Jk6cVPi
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 31, 2022
