Bruce Arians picked his time to retire like a well-timed trick play

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Before it gets out of hand, please understand this isn’t about Tom Brady forcing Bruce Arians out.

And it’s not going to lead to Brady leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 in some sort of trade to the Miami Dolphins (although 2023 will be here soon enough).

Bruce Arians retiring as the Bucs coach Wednesday night, seemingly unexpectedly, hit the NFL like a trick play out of the deepest part of his playbook. But just like a trick play never sees the light of day without practice, Arians prepared for this.

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 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Tom Brady (12) greets Head Coach Bruce Arians before the regular season game between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 9, 2022 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

He’s been preparing since February 2021 after his Bucs won Super Bowl LV.

That’s when Arians, then 68, started mulling retirement because the idea of going out on top appealed to him.

"I thought really hard about going out on top," he told the Los Angeles Times Wednesday. "Then it was like, nah, let’s go for two. Last year was a grind with all the injuries but still winning and getting to where we got. Immediately after, two to three weeks afterwards, it was like can’t let my coaches hanging. I got 31 families that depend on me. If I retire in February, it’s open interviews. My wife is big on not letting all those families down."

Arians, who leaves the profession with an 80-48-1 record, also wasn’t all that excited about chasing more wins to seal a legacy.

"The simple answer is that I have accomplished more than