TAMPA, Fla. — Bruce Arians is stepping down after three seasons as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and moving into a front-office role with the organization, the team announced Wednesday night.
Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will replace Arians as head coach. A league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Bucs signed a new five-year head coaching contract with Bowles earlier Wednesday.
Arians told ESPN he doesn’t see the move as a resignation.
“No, move to the front office,” he said in a text message. “I’m still working.”
Arians played a key role in evaluating candidates for drafts and a move to the front office ensures this continues. His new job title is Senior Football Consultant.
Despite several health issues throughout his career, Arians, 69, said the move was in no way motivated by his health. Arians and the Buccaneers had been working on a succession plan for the past few weeks and Arians updated players and members of his coaching staff with the news ahead of the team’s announcement.
Arians went 31-18 (.633) in three seasons at Tampa Bay, the highest win ratio of any coach in Buccaneers history, and led the team to victory at Super Bowl LV after the 2020 season. He won five playoff games with the Bucs; Every other coach in franchise history has won six combined.
“I’ve spent most of the last 50 years of my life in one form or another as a football coach on the sidelines. Today I made the decision to transition from the sidelines to a different role in the Buccaneers’ front office and to assist [general manager] Jason Licht and his staff,” Arians said in a statement. “I love football. I love the relationships, the strategy, the competition – everything. It’s been one hell of a ride, but I know this is the right time for me to make that transition.”
– At 69, Bruce Arians was the third-oldest active head coach in the NFL. Only Pete Carroll (turns 71 on September 15) and Bill Belichick (turns 70 on April 16) are older.
– Arian had a 31-18 (.633) record in three seasons with the Buccaneers. He has the highest win rate of any coach in Buccaneers history and ranks fourth in wins despite only coaching for three years.
– Arians won five playoff games with the Bucs; Every other coach in franchise history has won six combined.
— ESPN stats and information
A source told ESPN that Bowles was informed on Monday of Arians’ decision to step down and promote him. Arians had long considered him as his successor should Bowles not land a head coaching job elsewhere. Bowles applied for head coaching positions with the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears this offseason.
Bowles, 58, was previously the head coach for the New York Jets from 2015-18 when he went 24-40. He also served as the Miami Dolphins’ interim coach for three games to finish the 2011 season 2-1.
Bowles’ presence provides continuity on a Bucs team that has remained largely unchanged since their Super Bowl win, save for the departures of assistants Mike Caldwell, Cody Grimm and Antwaan Randle El.
“I thank the family and Jason Licht for believing in me to take on this role and Coach Arians for his support and guidance over the past four decades,” Bowles said in a statement. “Tampa has become home to my family and we look forward to remaining a part of this community for years to come. As an organization we have all the elements in place to continue the winning standard that has been established here over the last few years. I look forward to getting started with our players, coaching staff and front office in preparation for the 2022 season.”
Bowles will currently become the sixth minority head coach in the NFL, joining Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Washington’s Ron Rivera, the Jets’ Robert Saleh, Houston’s Lovie Smith and Miami’s Mike McDaniel. He is also the fourth black manager in Bucs history, joining Tony Dungy, Raheem Morris and Smith.
A coaching position vacant after March 1 is not subject to the requirements of the Rooney Rule as much of the talent pool the club would look to for potential candidates is largely unavailable. In addition, the anti-fixing policy states that after March 1st, clubs will not be obliged to grant interview permission to a contracted manager.
Arians’ departure is the second big announcement for the Bucs this offseason, after quarterback Tom Brady announced in February that he was retiring. Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl quarterback champion, returned 40 days later and said he would get a 23.
| Stat | 2015-18 | 2019-21 |
|---|---|---|
| Def efficiency | 27 | 7 |
| bag rate | 23 | 10 |
| data center efficiency | Last | 6. |
| >>Bowles inherited Bucs List in 2018 | ||
| — ESPN stats and information | ||
A source told ESPN that shortly after the announcement of his return, Arians informed Brady of his decision to step down.
brady, in an Instagram post Arians said Wednesday night that Arians was an important part of his decision to play for Tampa Bay and that he will be “forever grateful.”
“You are an incredible man and coach and it was a privilege to play for you,” Brady wrote. “You are a true NFL legend and a pioneer for all the work you have done to make the league more diverse and inclusive. Smart, tough and loyal are some of the words that describe your style. I will always remember the conversations we had when you recruited me two years ago and everything we discussed came true.”
There had been rumors of a rift between Arians and Brady, but Arians denied this in an interview with NFL Network at NFL owners’ meetings this week, and he denied speculation that Brady wanted to play elsewhere in 2022. Arians left the owners’ meetings a day early and canceled his previously planned media presence for personal reasons.
“I have no idea where it came from,” Arians said. “Somebody has to write a story about something every day. Tom and I have a great relationship. Even in retirement: ‘Where are you?’ ‘I am in Italy.’ ‘How are you?’ ‘Got the kids over here.’ You know I’m just checking on him I can’t get him back on the golf course because he travels too much so I can’t get enough money out of him.”
When asked about possible friction between the two, general manager Jason Licht said last week: “You’d be surprised we haven’t talked about it much. You cannot believe everything you hear, see and read. There will always be some friction between staff and players and a coach. It’s just normal. And like you said, it can be healthy. We didn’t really think much about it.
While Arians retired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals following the 2017 season before returning to coach the Bucs in 2019, several of his staff’s assistants told ESPN they were shocked and surprised by the news of his move into a new role.
In his statement, Arians said he “really started thinking about my personal transition plan earlier this off-season.”
“I wanted to make sure that if I went away, Todd Bowles would have the best chance of succeeding,” he said. “So many head coaches come into doomed situations and I didn’t want that for Todd.
“Tom’s decision to come back, along with Jason and his staff, who did another great job of keeping the core of this team intact during free agency, reaffirmed to me that it was the right time to pass the torch to Todd .”
With Arians stepping down, 10 NFL teams — nearly a third of the league — will have a new head coach next season. That’s the most managerial changes from one year to the next since 2008/09, when there were 11 changes in the position.
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.