Bruce Arians said Thursday it had always been his dream to hand over a head coaching job to one of his staff and that reports of friction between him and Tom Brady “couldn’t be further from the truth”.
Arians, who will join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ front office this season while defensive coordinator Todd Bowles takes over as head coach, also said his family played a big part in his decision and there was “no better time than now.” for that give make the move.
“Some people have already asked, ‘Why are you stepping away from a chance to go into the Hall of Fame and win another Super Bowl?’ Because I don’t give a shit about the Hall of Fame,” Arians said during Thursday’s press conference. “Succession is very important to me. It’s been my dream for a long time. People who know me, they knew I wanted one of my guys takes over.”
He said it was the first time he thought about stepping down as Buccaneers head coach after the season, but it wasn’t the right time. He said when Brady announced he was ending his brief retirement to return to the Bucs, the decision was an easy one and there was “no better time to pass the torch on than now.”
Brady attended Thursday’s press conference and sat in the front row. Arians said he has a “great relationship” with the team’s star quarterback.
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“All the players – there are a few in here – every one of them was verbally abused. Including him,” Arians said, pointing at Brady. “It’s just a part of me. This is nothing new. We have a great relationship. … People have to write s. It couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Arians went 31-18 (.633) in three campaigns with Tampa Bay, the highest winning percentage 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; The previous Tampa Bay coaches won six combined. The Buccaneers announced Thursday that Arians will be inducted into the team’s ring of honor this season.
This will be Bowles’ second job as head coach and Arians called Bowles’ second chance “long overdue”. Bowles, 58, was previously the head coach for the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018 when he went 24-40. He was also the interim coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2011.
“When people get fired, they usually blame everyone else. The first thing I did was look inside myself,” Bowles said when asked what he learned from his time as a Jets coach. “There are many things I can do better.”
Bowles said he looks forward to having Brady as quarterback, a luxury he didn’t have with the Jets when he had to field him twice a season while Brady was with the New England Patriots.
“I guess the guy’s world. I think we’re more alike than you can ever know,” he said.
Referring to the Arians that followed, Bowles said, “I’m just going to be me. I can’t be him,” but said he plans to take Arians’ advice, as well as the advice of the other coaches on his staff.
He added: “When I first started in New York you try to do things right and if you don’t do it your way you end up regretting it. So I’ll do it my way.”
Bowles said Thursday that Larry Foote and Kacy Rodgers will be the Bucs’ co-defensive coordinators this season. However, Bowles will continue to play defense this season.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this report.