Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians says he’d ‘probably’ still be head coach if Tom Brady stayed retired

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The relationship between Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and former head coach Bruce Arians has been a hot topic for much of the NFL offseason. 

The two won a Super Bowl together in Brady’s first year in Tampa Bay before losing to the LA Rams in the 2021 NFC Divisional Playoffs. 

Tampa, FL, USA;  Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) participates in a press conference during mandatory mini camp at AdventHealth Training Center. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)

Brady announced his retirement from the game of football not long after the end of the 2021 season, before doing an about-face and returning to the Bucs for his 23rd season in the league. Shortly after Brady announced his return, Arians stepped away as head coach – naming defensive coordinator Todd Bowles as head coach – and taking a position in the front office. 

There have been rumors that the relationship had grown strained – a rumor that both Brady and Arians have denied – and now Arians is saying that Brady’s return to Tampa Bay did have an impact on his decision to step away. Just not in the way some want to think. 

TOM BRADY DISMISSES REPORT OF STRAINED RELATIONSHIP WITH BUCS’ BRUCE ARIANS

"I was going the other way. I was thinking he wasn’t going to play," Arians said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. "I was thinking about who are we going to get? Who wants to trade? There wasn’t anybody to draft. That was obvious. Me, to the public, I was fine with the two we had: Blaine (Gabbert) and Kyle (Trask). Because I’ve seen Blaine win with a good team behind him. Had Tom not come back, I probably would still be coaching. I couldn’t give Todd that situation."