Bucs HC Bruce Arians Reportedly Ruptured His Achilles, Holding Off on Surgery

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians suffered a partial rupture of his Achilles tendon, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer.

Glazer reported Arians is putting off surgery for the time being but that a procedure will be required should he suffer a full rupture of the tendon.

Arians told Glazer he's unsure of how surgery would impact his abilities to coach the Buccaneers as they prepare for the NFL playoffs.

The 69-year-old was just cleared from the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, which allows him to be on the sideline for Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

Tampa Bay, which has already clinched the NFC South title, has two more games left in the regular season. Unless the Buccaneers can overtake the Green Bay Packers for the top seed in the conference, they'll open the postseason on the weekend of Jan. 15.

Title contenders are typically concerned about the health of their key players when it gets to this stage of the season. Arians' injury provides a different variable for the NFL's defending champions.

Should the worst-case scenario come to pass and he requires surgery, Tampa Bay could be without its head coach for a playoff game. His tendon injury could also worsen to the point he has to move up into the booth rather than remain on the sideline.

Either outcome would put the Bucs at a disadvantage at an inopportune time.

Arians' squad is the third-favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to win Super Bowl LVI (+700, bet $100 to win $700), trailing the Kansas City Chiefs (+400) and Green Bay Packers (+450).

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