Bruce Arians has honest admission about retirement from coaching

Sep 19, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Arians abruptly retired as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to the 2022 season, but it is safe to say he misses the job.

Arians admitted that it “kills” him to not be coaching, but maintained that it was the right time for him to step away from the job when he did.

“Would I love to be coaching? Yeah,” Arians told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “It’s what you do. It kills me to go upstairs. I’m on the sideline in pregame and it kills me to have to go upstairs and just sit there. It kills me. It’s hard. It’s what I do. I’ve done it my whole life. I’m smart enough to know it’s over.”

Arians made the abrupt decision to step aside at the end of March, turning the team over to Todd Bowles. The 70-year-old’s decision to walk away, particularly in the wake of Tom Brady’s return, sparked a lot of rumors that Arians inadvertently fueled himself. Comments like these are only going to further the narrative that Arians walked away begrudgingly, no matter how much he claims otherwise.

Arians did retire once before in 2017 before deciding to return. This retirement sounds more permanent, even though he clearly misses the job.