Bruce Arians retired from his position as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2021 season, but his legacy still lingers in the halls of One Buc Place.
Arians is a member of the franchise’s Ring of Honor and coached the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl championship during the 2020-21 season.
He was instrumental in establishing a winning culture in Tampa Bay, implementing a championship standard that helped transform the losingest franchise in football into a winner. Now, after five years away from coaching, he’s got the itch to return to the sidelines.
Bruce Arians wants to return to the NFL as a head coach
Arians spoke to NFL insider Jordan Schultz about his abrupt retirement and his desire to return to the sidelines.
Arians revealed he was dealing with some health issues in 2021, including a torn Achilles and an aneurysm in his heart that required open-heart surgery. Now that he’s fully healthy, he’s starting to miss coaching.
“This is the first time I had the itch again. I had no desire to go back. After open-heart surgery, I have so much more energy... Now it’s just a matter of, we’ll see what happens."
Arians talked about missing the players and the locker room aspect of coaching, and after watching his son coaching high school football this season, it lit a fire for Arians to want to return to the NFL.
Could Bruce Arians return as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
It’s no secret that Todd Bowles’ seat is among the hottest of any coach in the NFL. Barring a miracle turnaround complete with a playoff run, the Buccaneers are expected to make a coaching change this offseason.
If they do move on from Bowles, would Arians be on their list of candidates? And would Arians consider coming back to Tampa Bay?
According to Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, Arians would consider returning to the Buccaneers if the job were open.
I asked Bruce Arians if he would consider returning to the Bucs. “If it were open, yes,” he said. https://t.co/akaIE1rPTw
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) November 12, 2026
Arians went 31-18 during the regular season in Tampa Bay along with an impressive 5-1 postseason record, including a Super Bowl championship. It would be hard to find another candidate with that résumé, complete with existing relationships within the organization.
Even after his retirement, he stuck around in the front office as a senior football consultant from 2022-25, so his ties to the franchise remain strong.
Given his history with the franchise and his willingness to return, it's safe to assume if the Buccaneers are looking for a new head coach in the offseason, Arians could emerge as one of the top candidates for the job.
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