Buccaneers GM believes Tom Brady's decision to return prompted Bruce Arians to retire
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show and discussed quarterback Tom Brady’s comeback and head coach Bruce Arians' retirement.
Licht told Eisen that the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback’s choice to play in the 2022 season led Arians to step away as head coach. He also discussed how the coach wanted to ensure everyone was in a good position before retiring:
"Well, the sense was it was a troublesome ... it would have been challenging and more challenging. And Bruce wanted the wanted to make sure everybody was in a good spot, all of his assistance left in that the house was cleaned. And so, I don't we don't want to deal with the hypothetical. But he has gone on and said that he would have wanted ... he was looking forward to coaching whoever that quarterback would have been. But all I gotta say is his dream has been since I've known him, when he retires, to leave it to one of his assistants, and you know, where he stands on diversity and inclusion, and to leave it to one of his assistants? In a phenomenal spot.”
Tom Brady just posted this on Bruce Arians’ retiring from coaching:
Arians responds: “Thanks brotha 🥃” https://t.co/OftJnmYjQh
Licht concluded his statement by saying that Tampa Bay is in a better spot with Brady under center and a good roster thanks to Arians:
“And what better, better spot could it be? You think in the history of the NFL where coaches retired, and it goes to another coach where they don't, where they have a quarterback like Tom Brady, and a very good roster like we have. So, he's one of the most unselfish people I know, and that this has been one of his platforms or his major platform since he's been a coach."
The 69-year-old stepped down as head coach of the Buccaneers this offseason, and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was named as his replacement. He spent 12 games as an interim head coach with the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012 season.
He won the AP Coach of the Year award that season after leading them to a 9-3 record as coach Chuck Pagano was battling cancer. Arians was hired by the Arizona Cardinals in 2013, leading them to three straight seasons of 10+ wins.
The Cardinals made the playoffs in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, and Arians won Coach of the Year for the second time in 2014.
Bruce Arians created the environment for minority coaches in Tampa Bay that the Rooney Rule was supposed to do for the NFL. He had the most minority coaches of any team on staff, 2 women position coaches and 4 Black Coordinators/Assistant Head Coaches. And they won. Thank you BA.
Bruce Arians with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He became the 12th head coach in Tampa Bay’s history in January 2019 and went 7-9 in his first season. In March 2020, Brady signed with the team as their new quarterback, finishing second in the NFC South with a record of 11-5.
That season, Arians became the oldest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as Tampa Bay defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55.
The following season, the team went 13-4 and made it to the NFC Divisional Round, losing to the Los Angeles Rams at home.
In his three seasons with Tampa Bay, Arians went 31-18 and is now a senior football consultant with the team.