The timing behind Bruce Arians’ decision to retire from coaching has raised more than a few eyebrows.
The NFL coaching carousel has long been over and the offseason is in full swing, with free agency behind us and the draft soon coming.
The most significant thing to happen with the Bucs in the meantime is their Hall of Fame quarterback retiring – and then deciding to cut his retirement short. Surely, Tom Brady had something to do with Arians’ decision to step away?
Well, it turns out he did actually, Arians confirmed Thursday at his retirement press conference. But not for the reasons most had assumed.
Bruce Arians on the talk of any rift between him and Tom Brady, who was sitting in the front row.
“People gotta write sh*t. It couldn’t be further from the truth.” #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/s2gsqhT9Yf
— Kyle Burger (@kyle_burger) March 31, 2022
“Thought about [retiring] after the season but, again, it wasn’t right,” Arians said with Brady in the front row. “Obviously, going through the combine, going through all that process, trying to build next year’s team without Tom. And then when Tom said he’d come back, I was like ‘now it’s easy. Now it’s easy.’ We’re in the best shape we’ve ever been. It’s no better time to pass the torch than now.”
And that torch is being passed to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, a longtime colleague of Arians and someone the coach thought should’ve landed a head coaching job after Tampa won the Super Bowl two years ago. Bowles will be just the fourth Black head coach in a league that has obvious problems giving Black candidates equal opportunities.
Arians never had that problem. All of his lead coordinators in Tampa were Black, including Bowles, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, assistant head coach and run game coordinator Harold Goodwin and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong.
As Arians noted at the press conference, he could’ve stuck around to chase individual accolades – such as another Super Bowl – on a team primed to make another run. Instead, he’s giving that opportunity to Bowles, who might have never received a second chance after his time with the New York Jets, a team that was never built to win to begin with.
“A number of people have already asked, ‘Why are you stepping away from the chance to go to the Hall of Fame and win another Super Bowl?'” Arians said. “Because I don’t give a [expletive] about the Hall of Fame. Succession is way more important to me. This has been my dream for a long time. Guys that know me, they knew I wanted one of my guys to take over, and that’s more important to me than anything.”
.@LRiddickESPN reacts to Bruce Arians stepping down to let Todd Bowles become his successor:
"I can't help but smile. … That's what people are trying to get this league to be about. … This is about relationships, man." pic.twitter.com/YVXPzn4VBJ
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 31, 2022
Arians’ motivations for retiring will remain in question for some, but his succession plan is nonetheless noble and something other teams and coaches should take note of. He most notably used his position of power, with both Tampa and with the Arizona Cardinals, to hire several Black coaches to high-profile positions, allowing them to gain visibility for promotion within the league.
Tampa’s coaching switch is a unique one and can’t be easily replicated everywhere. However, simply giving Black coaches real opportunities can be. For Arians, it led to a 80-48-1 career record – not including his 9-3 record as interim coach in Indianapolis – with four playoff appearances, including two in three years with a Super Bowl title in Tampa.
“Mostly, I gotta thank the coaches. Man, you guys did it all,” Arians said. “I mean, I really didn’t do [expletive]. I just led the ship, but you guys did it all.”
The rest of the NFL should take note.
