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Bucs HC Arians Says If Tom Brady Retires It Won't Impact His Future Despite Rumors
May 20, 2021
Bruce Arians' future as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers isn't tied directly to how much longer Tom Brady will continue playing.
Appearing on the Pewter Report Podcast, Arians said he plans to honor his five-year contract regardless of Brady's presence on the roster:
“Oh yeah, that’s the plan. I don’t have any plans on retiring. It’s just, when do I not want to go back to work? When I’m not excited about going back to work then I’m cheating somebody. I’m cheating the Glazer family, I’m cheating my players. Right now I can’t wait to get back to work. I don’t know when that’s going to happen, but no, I’m not tied to any players.”
There was speculation leading up to Super Bowl LV that Arians could retire if the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk), defensive coordinator Todd Bowles would have been promoted to head coach if Arians decided to walk away.
Arians shot down that speculation, telling reporters "hell no" when asked about the possibility of retirement. He did win his first Super Bowl as a head coach when the Bucs beat the Chiefs 31-9 on Feb. 7.
During his podcast appearance, Arians said he "could get extremely excited" about coaching a young quarterback. The Buccaneers drafted Kyle Trask in the second round of the 2021 draft.
Arians also called Blaine Gabbert, Tampa's current backup, "the most underrated player in the NFL."
The 68-year-old spent one year retired in 2018 after spending five seasons as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Arians returned to coaching when he was hired by the Bucs in Jan. 2019. His contract was for four years with an option for the 2023 season.
Brady joined the team as a free agent in March 2020 and led the team to their second Super Bowl win in franchise history last season.
Tampa gave Brady a one-year extension in March that ties him to the team through 2022.