Arians retiring as coach; Bowles to replace him
The most chaotic offseason in Bucs and NFL history got a bit more surreal Wednesday night. Coach Bruce Arians is retiring to take a front-office role effective immediately.
Veteran defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will replace him as part of a succession plan that Arians said had been in the works a few weeks. Bowles was informed Monday that the Bucs will do away with the remaining two years on his current contract and replace it with a new five-year, head-coaching deal.
A two-time cancer survivor, Arians — who turns 70 in October — said in a lengthy statement issued through the team that the decision was not healthrelated. He made only a cameo at the annual NFL meetings that wrapped up earlier Wednesday, exiting due to what the team called a personal matter.
“Before you start thinking this is about my health, don’t,” Arians said in the 12-paragraph statement. “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.
“I wanted to ensure when I walked away that Todd Bowles would have the best opportunity to succeed,” Arians added.
“So many head coaches come into situations where they are set up for failure, and I didn’t want that for Todd. Tom (Brady’s) decision to come back, along with (general manager) Jason (Licht) and his staff doing another great job of keeping the core of this team intact during free agency, confirmed for me that it was the right time to pass
the torch to Todd.”
Arians retires with an 89-51-1 regular-season record as an NFL head coach, including his interim season with the Colts in 2012, when he stepped in while Chuck Pagano underwent treatment for leukemia and led the team to a 9-3 record and playoff berth.
He retired for health reasons after five mostly successful seasons (and two playoff berths) in Arizona in 2017 but was lured from a one-year retirement by Licht. He arrived in Tampa with a bluntness, salty charm and a vertical offensive philosophy spawning his “no risk-it, no biscuit” mantra.
“In my opinion, he is a Hall of Fame coach, so it is difficult for our football team to lose that type of leader,” Licht said in a statement. “However, I am excited to have him continuing his contributions to our franchise in his new capacity.”
An ardent proponent of diversity, Arians had three Black coordinators and hired two women for his on-field staff. Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar became the first female coaches to win a Super Bowl.
Arians endured a 7-9 season in 2019, grimacing as Jameis Winston tossed 30 interceptions and the kicking game foundered in critical moments. But the franchise’s fortunes transformed with the signing of Brady — then 42 — in March 2020.
In the last two seasons, Tampa Bay has won 24 regular-season games, five playoffs contests and a Super Bowl. Arians exits with 31 regular-season wins, fourthmost of any of the franchise’s 12 coaches.
His .633 winning percentage is by far the best in Bucs history.