Bruce Arians indicates he would be interested in Buccaneers’ coaching job
Bruce Arians recently said he would consider coming out of retirement for the possibility of coaching one NFL team and one team only, but it would appear the list of jobs the 66-year-old is interested in has grown.
On Monday, Arians told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that he would listen if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reached out to him.
Previously, former #AZCardinals coach Bruce Arians had said he’d only consider the #Browns job. But with the #Bucs job open, BA just texted me: "I know Jason (Licht). So, I would listen.” That would be interesting.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 31, 2018
Arians may have only meant that he would do his friend the courtesy of not hanging up the phone, but he knows how people are going to interpret the remark.
Back in November, Arians said he has always loved the Cleveland Browns organization and their fans and would only consider coming out of retirement if they wanted him to be their next head coach. He later downplayed the likelihood of that happening, but it is clear he is not totally committed to being retired. Arians was the offensive coordinator with the Browns the last time they made the playoffs in 2002.
Arians was one of the most underrated coaches in football during his time with the Arizona Cardinals, and he has a long history of enjoying success with top quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer. It’s unclear how the Bucs’ reported intentions with Jameis Winston would affect his level of interest in the job, but the coach’s potential return is one of many storylines to watch this offseason.