Todd Bowles to be named Tampa Bay Bucs coach as Bruce Arians steps down

Bruce Arians has decided to retire as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and move into a front-office role with the team, a stunning move announced Wednesday night.

Arians, who will turn 70 this coming season, coached the Bucs to the Super Bowl title in the 2020 season – Tom Brady’s first with Tampa Bay. The Bucs were 31-18 in Arians’ three seasons there and he was 80-48-1 in eight years as a head coach overall when adding in his five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.

Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will replace Arians as coach.

NBC Sports and the Los Angeles Times first reported Arians’ decision and that Bowles would be promoted.

“I have spent most of the last 50 years of my life on the sidelines as a football coach in one form or another,” Arians said in a statement released by the team. “Today, I have made the decision to move from the sidelines into another role with the Buccaneers front office, assisting (general manager) Jason Licht and his staff.

“I love football. I love the relationships, the strategy, the competition — everything. It has been one hell of a ride, but I know this is the right time for me to make this transition.”

It is the second major retirement announcement for the Bucs this offseason, following Brady’s announcement in February that he was ending his career. Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, returned 40 days later, saying he would return for a 23rd season and noting he had “unfinished business”.

There was no public indication at the NFL’s annual meetings on the Atlantic side of the state in Palm Beach, Florida, that such a move was coming. Arians was there, briefly, and did an interview with NFL Network about what the team would have done to replace Brady if the quarterback