Bruce Arians isn't one to withhold his opinion. He never has been, and he likely never will be. This was the case when he was a coach and it's definitely still the case now.
It wasn't all that long ago that Arians was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For that, he'll forever be cherished by the organization and its fans. That being said, he still owes a good amount of gratitude to the players who got the job done on the field. Several of whom are still on the current roster. I'm talking about guys like Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Lavonte David.
What else do each of those players have in common? Well, they're all impending free agents. Not only that, but they're all coming off fantastic individual seasons. The same goes for their quarterback, Baker Mayfield, which puts the Buccaneers in an interesting position. Especially after the sudden departure of their offensive coordinator, Dave Canales.
Who will the Buccaneers prioritize in free agency? Did they cost themselves the chance to retain Mike Evans last offseason? Do they have enough money to sign them all?
Bruce Arians recently spoke with Ira Kaufman of Joe Bucs Fan, who offered a confident take on the status of these free agents.
"I don’t think we’re losing any of ’em,” Arians said. “Mike wants to stay here and they’re gonna pay him. I think Mayfield loves it here and is totally appreciative of the opportunity he found in Tampa. He loves the guys and the guys love him.”
Not only is Bruce Arians extremely plugged into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization, but according to the Bucs' website, he technically still holds the title of Senior Advisor to the General Manager. Which, if you ask me, begs the question of whether or not he should even be expressing public opinions about the Bucs' free agency plans in the first place. But on the other hand, this is Bruce Arians we're talking about. And Bruce Arians is going to be Bruce Arians, no matter what title he holds.
Either way, I'd say for anyone with a vested interest in the team, these comments should be viewed in a positive light. Arians seems uber confident that not only will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be attempting to retain each of their big-name free agents, but he expects those players to want to return as well.
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