The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are apparently undergoing a major shakeup in leadership, according to a report.
Head coach Bruce Arians is stepping down to assume a role in the team's front office, while defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is being promoted to replace Arians, Peter King of NBC Sports reported on Wednesday night.
Arians, in remarks to King and Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times, said he was likely to retire next year, but chose to expedite his plan because of the opportunity to handpick his successor, Bowles, and because the franchise is "in probably the best shape it's been in its history."
The move comes just one season removed from Arians leading the team to a victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, and just weeks after the return of quarterback Tom Brady from a brief retirement of about a month-plus.
Arians and Brady didn't always seem to be on the same page, with Arians publicly criticizing his quarterback's performance on at least a couple occasions, and multiple reports indicating Brady was less than pleased at times with his head coach.
But Arians told King and Farmer that Brady's return made him more confident it was time to move on from coaching.
“It hit me after the Super Bowl,” he said. “I thought really hard about going out on top. 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.
“Tom was kind of the key. When Tom decided to come back … and all of these guys back now, it’s the perfect timing for me just to go into the front office and still have the relationships that I love.”
Bowles, 58, was previously head coach of the Jets from 2015-18, leading the team to a 24-40 record. His first season in New York was his best, with the team going 10-6 and finishing second in the AFC East.
With the promotion, Bowles becomes the sixth Black head coach currently in the league.
Arians, 69, has battled health issues over the years, including bouts with three different forms of cancer, kidney stones, and most recently, a torn Achilles last season.
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