Bruce Arians is the frontrunner to land the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head-coaching job, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The good news for the Buccaneers is that they will not owe Arians' former Arizona Cardinals club compensation if he earns the job. While Arians retired from the Cardinals last season with time left on his deal, his 2019 option was declined, paving the way for Arians to land the position.
The fact that Arians appears to be Tampa Bay's top choice does not come as much of a surprise. After all, Arians is familiar with Bucs general manager Jason Licht, as the two worked together in Arizona back in 2013.
Also, Arians has a pretty good track record, owning a couple of Coach of the Year awards and boasting an official record of 49-30-1. If you include the time Arians spent as an interim coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, his overall record is 58-33-1.
Article Continues BelowInterestingly enough, in spite of the fact that Arians' wins and losses with the Colts do not officially count, he actually won his first Coach of the Year award that season. He later added to his hardware in 2014, when he led the the Cardinals to 11 wins and a playoff berth.
Arians' best year, however, came in 2015, when he led Arizona to a 13-win campaign and took the Cards all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
However, pressure began to mount on Arians after disappointing seasons in 2016 and 2017, leading to his ultimate departure from the Cardinals. Arians was also dealing with health issues at the time.