Buccaneers ex-coach Bruce Arians on potential return as HC

Bruce Arians, who now works for the Buccaneers in the front office, revealed his feelings on a potential return to coaching.

Before the start of the regular season, Bruce Arians stepped down from his head coach post with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians, who led Tampa Bay to a title in 2020, moved to a role in the front office instead. Amid the Bucs' rollercoaster of a season, some fans have called for Arians to return to his former role. Arians admitted that he had thought about doing that… but decided against it, he revealed in an interview with Rick Stroud.

“Would I love to be coaching (the Buccaneers)? Yeah,” Bruce Arians said. “It kills me to go upstairs. I’m on the sideline in pregame and it kills me to have to go upstairs and just sit there….It’s hard…I’ve done it my whole life. I’m smart enough to know it’s over.”

Arians retired from coaching in 2022 to give way for former Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles. In his first season, Bowles has caught a lot of flak from the fanbase amid the team's middling performance. It has led many fans to want Bruce Arians to return as the Buccaneers head coach. However, the ex-coach is steadfast in his decision to step away for good.

Despite their so-so season, the Buccaneers are still in the running to win a playoff spot in the NFC. They were fortunate enough to play in the underwhelming NFC South division. All they need is to somehow squeeze their way into the playoffs. From there, anything can happen, especially if Tom Brady is under center. Can they do that in the final two weeks of the year?