Todd Bowles to take over as head coach of Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Bruce Arians stepping into front-office role

TAMPA, Fla. — Bruce Arians is stepping down after three seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach and moving into a front-office role with the organization, the team announced Wednesday night.

Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will replace Arians as head coach. A league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Bucs finalized a new five-year, head-coaching contract with Bowles earlier Wednesday.

Arians told ESPN he doesn't see the change as a retirement. «No, moving to the front office,» he said in a text message. «I'm still working.»

His new job title will be senior football consultant.

Despite multiple health scares throughout his career, Arians, 69, said this move was in no way motivated by his health. Arians and the Buccaneers had been working on a succession plan the past several weeks, and Arians informed players and members of his coaching staff of the news prior to the team's announcement.

Arians went 31-18 (.633) in three seasons in Tampa Bay, the highest win percentage of any coach in Buccaneers history, and led the team to victory in Super Bowl LV following the 2020 season. He won five playoff games with the Bucs; every other coach in franchise history won six combined.

«I have spent most of the last 50 years of my life on the sidelines as a football coach in one form or another. 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,» Arians said in a statement. «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.»

— At 69 years old, Bruce Arians was the