In a surprise move, Bruce Arians is stepping down as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and moving into a front office role with the team.
The Buccaneers have already named his successor, with defensive coordinator Todd Bowles being promoted to the role of head coach.
The decision sees Arians call time on an impressive coaching career in the league, which has seen him serve as head coach in Arizona, Tampa Bay and in an interim role in Indianapolis.
Arians led the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl title when they beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV.
He also played a major role in changing the fortunes of the Arizona Cardinals, guiding them to the play-offs twice during a five-year spell as head coach from 2013 to 2017.
Bruce Arians’ accolades
Arians ends his head coaching career with an impressive 80-48-1 record in the NFL, as well as a 6-3 record in the play-offs.
He won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award in 2012, after taking control of the Indianapolis Colts on an interim basis following Chuck Pagano’s leukaemia diagnosis.
He won the award again in 2014 after his Cardinals team made the play-offs for the first time since 2009, before losing to the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round.
Arians served as an assistant in the NFL for many years before becoming a head coach, winning two Super Bowl titles with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2000s.
Winning the Super Bowl as a head coach was always the goal for Arians, and he explained this was a key factor in the decision to retire from coaching.
He said: ‘So why now? The simple answer is that I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed I could during this incredible coaching journey. Winning Super Bowl LV at our home stadium, with my mom and family in attendance, was really the last item I wanted to check off my career bucket list. For me, this is about more than just trying to add more wins to my coaching record.’
Tom Brady’s tribute to Arians
Following the announcement, Tom Brady paid tribute to Arians on Instagram, explaining that Arians was a big reason why he joined the Buccaneers in 2020.
He said: ‘You are an incredible man and coach, and it was a privilege to play for you.
‘You are a true NFL legend and pioneer for all the work you have done to make the league more diverse and inclusive.
‘Smart, tough, and loyal are a few of the words to describe your style. I will always remember the conversations we had when you recruited me two years ago and all of the things we discussed came true.’
With Brady coming out of his brief retirement to return to the Buccaneers for the 2022 season, Tampa Bay look set to be contenders once again in the NFC this year.
Todd Bowles’ resume
Bowles has been a head coach in the league already, having coached the New York Jets between 2015 and 2018.
With the Jets, Bowles guided the team to a promising 10-6 season in 2015 as they narrowly missed out on a play-off spot.
However, the Jets finished bottom of the AFC East in the following three seasons, posting a disappointing 5-11 record in both 2016 and 2017, before finishing 4-12 in 2018.
Bowles was fired by the Jets following the conclusion of the 2018 season and Arians hired him as the Buccaneers defensive coordinator in January 2019.
His defence played a major role in the Super Bowl win against the Chiefs, preventing Patrick Mahomes and his usually prolific offence from scoring a touchdown.
Arians believes now is the right time to hand over the head coaching responsibilities to Bowles, as he feels the Buccaneers are in a good position for future success.
In a statement released on the Buccaneers website, he said: ‘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. Tom (Brady)’s decision to come back, along with 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.
‘I began conversations with Jason and the Glazer family a few weeks ago about a possible succession plan. Their understanding and support mean the world to me.’
