The most chaotic offseason in Bucs and NFL history just got a bit more surreal Wednesday night: Coach Bruce Arians is retiring to take a front-office role effective immediately. Veteran defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will replace him.
“I have spent most of the last 50 years of my life on the sidelines as a football coach in one form or another,” Arians said in a lengthy statement released by the team Wednesday night.
“I have made the decision to move from the sidelines into another role with the Buccaneers front office, assisting Jason Licht and his staff.
“I love football. I love the relationships, the strategy, the competition — everything. It has been one hell of a ride, but I know this is the right time for me to make this transition.
“So why now?
“The simple answer is that I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed I could during this incredible coaching journey. Winning Super Bowl 55 at our home stadium, with my mom and family in attendance, was really the last item I wanted to check off my career bucket list. For me, this is about more than just trying to add more wins to my coaching record.”
Arians, a cancer survivor who turns 70 this fall, made only a cameo at the annual NFL meetings that wrapped up earlier Wednesday, exiting due to what the team called a personal matter. He retires with an 89-51-1 record as an NFL head coach, including his interim season with the Colts in 2012, when he led the team to a 9-3 record.
Bowles, 58, becomes the NFL’s sixth current minority head coach. He compiled a 24-40 record as Jets coach from 2015-18 before a career resurgence of sorts with the Bucs, highlighted by his unit’s neutralization of Patrick Mahomes in a 31-9 rout of Kansas City in Super Bowl 55.
