Bruce Arians expands on stepping down as Buccaneers head coach

Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers senior advisor Bruce Arians spoke during a recent appearance on "The Rock Stops Here" podcast about his shocking decision to step down as head coach of the club on March 30, 2022. 

"For me, it was time," Arians explained, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "Health had a little bit to do with it. I tore my Achilles, you know, that year before. Standing on the sidelines was getting harder with some issues, just being out there for four hours standing."

It was rumored in February 2022 that Arians' relationship with quarterback Tom Brady soured during the 2021 season as Brady spent more time with then-offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich while Arians dealt with his hurting Achilles. Brady temporarily retired following that campaign but announced on March 13, 2022, that he was returning to Tampa Bay's active roster. 

Meanwhile, Arians stepping down opened the door for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to become the Buccaneers' next head coach. During the podcast, Arians acknowledged he "didn’t like" that neither Bowles nor Leftwich earned head coaching jobs in early 2022. 

"You know, I thought they both deserved to be head coaches," Arians said. "You know, so a lot of things went into that decision. When we did it, it was just, I think, perfect timing for all of us."

Arians previously didn't hide the fact that he was "extremely unhappy" that the Buccaneers parted ways with Leftwich and numerous other assistants shortly after the team's 31-14 playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys in January 2023. Brady retired "for good" the following month.

Interestingly, JoeBucsFan mentioned that Arians said in his statement released to media members such as ESPN's Adam Schefter on March 30, 2022, that the decision to step down as head coach wasn't related to his health because he was feeling the best he had felt "in many years." 

Arians turned 70 years old in October 2022 and was hospitalized for a brief time that same month due to an inflammation of the heart muscle known as myocarditis. 

As for Bowles, he seemingly was on the hot seat as Tampa Bay's head coach until the Bucs earned a wild-card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles last month. Arians admitted in January he "was really worried for" Bowles and the rest of the coaching staff when Tampa Bay was 4-7 this past fall.