Bucs' Bruce Arians: Tom Brady's Return Was 'Perfect Timing' for Front-Office Move

In the latest stunning development from the NFL, Bruce Arians is stepping down as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Per Peter King of NBC Sports and Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times, Arians is retiring from coaching to take a job in Tampa Bay's front office. Todd Bowles, who has been the Bucs' defensive coordinator since 2019, will take over as head coach.

Speaking to King and Farmer on a phone call, Arians said Tom Brady's choice to come back was the "perfect timing" for him to step away from coaching.

Arians added that the timing of his decision and Brady's return is not an indication of any issues between the two.

"Tom was very in favor of what I'm doing," he said. "I had conflicts with every player I coached because I cussed them all out, including him. Great relationship off the field."

When the offseason began, it initially seemed like Tampa's biggest dilemma was going to be finding a replacement for Brady. He announced in an Instagram post on Feb. 1, nine days after losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round, he was retiring after 22 seasons.

On March 13, one day before the NFL's legal tampering period for free agents began, Brady reversed course and said he would be returning to the Bucs in 2022:

There was speculation during the 40 days when Brady was retired that his decision was motivated in part because of a contentious relationship with Arians.

Speaking to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times on Feb. 19, Arians said rumors of a fractured dynamic with Brady were "far-fetched" and "bulls--t."

In his official statement about his decision Wednesday, Arians said he is leaving now because "I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed I could during this incredible coaching journey" that dates back to 1975 when he was a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech.

The Bucs will mark Bowles' first stint as a head coach since he was with the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018. The 58-year-old went 24-40 in four seasons in New York. His best record was a 10-6 mark in 2015.

Prior to becoming Jets head coach, Bowles worked on Arians' staff for two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2014.

Arians told King and Farmer he first started thinking about stepping down after the Bucs' 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 in February 2021.

"I thought really hard about going out on top," he explained. "Then it was like, nah, let's go for two. [The 2021 season] was a grind with all the injuries but still winning and getting to where we got. Immediately after, two to three weeks afterwards [I thought] ... if I quit, my coaches get fired. I couldn't do it then."

After going 7-9 in Arians' first season as head coach, the Buccaneers' fortunes changed dramatically when Brady signed with the team. They went 11-5 in 2020, made the postseason as a wild card and won the second Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Tampa Bay went 13-4 in 2021, winning the NFC South for the first time since 2007. The team defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Game, but it lost to the Rams the following week.

Arians went 31-18 in three seasons with the Bucs. The 69-year-old has an 80-48 career record as a head coach, not including his 9-3 mark as interim head coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012 when Chuck Pagano took a sabbatical to undergo cancer treatment.