Tom Brady has unretired, and Bruce Arians has retired and ceded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaching reins to Todd Bowles.
In Arians' eyes, though, it's offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich who's a star on the rise and the offensive mind in need of more credit within the Bucs organization.
"I get credit and Brady gets way too much credit for what Byron does with our offense," Arians told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. "One of the reasons I hope he gets all the credit he deserves this year is to get a coaching gig; you know, he had about four or five teams real interested last year.
"I would anticipate him to be a head coach real fast."
Leftwich first became an OC in 2018 with the Arizona Cardinals under then-head coach Steve Wilks, but he got his start coaching with the franchise under Arians as an intern in 2016. When Arians took over with the Bucs in 2019, Leftwich followed as his offensive coordinator.
Since then, the high-flying Buccaneers have finished in the top three each season in points scored (and the top seven in yards). While Arians' "no risk it, no biscuit" mantra and Brady joining the team in 2020 have rightfully commanded notice and credit, Leftwich injected instant offense into the team in 2019 with Jameis Winston at quarterback. He then navigated a likely awkward transition to coaching a megastar in Brady, who's actually older than him.
With Brady set to play in his age-45 season, Leftwich will be 42 for most of the 2022 campaign with the Bucs. He'll likely be a hot candidate for head coaching vacancies again in the 2023 cycle, as he was the past couple of years. Arians, like many, thought Leftwich was set to leave the Bucs for another Florida team this past offseason.
"I really thought he was going to be the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars this year," Arians said. "Got so, so close. Yeah, it's on the horizon for him. He's the star."
Leftwich is a rising star who will coach perhaps the NFL's biggest star for a third season in a row.
And while Arians believes Leftwich deserves more credit, it was Brady who set things in motion as it relates to Arians retiring and Bowles taking over.
Arians wanted to leave the sidelines to Bowles, but wanted to put him in the best possible position for success, and having the seven-time Super Bowl-winning QB back in the fold was key to that equation.
"I was waiting for Tom and see what he was going to do," Arians said of why he announced his retirement on March 30, more than two months after the season ended. "Once he decided and he came back, it was a no-brainer (to retire). Todd's in a great shape, the organization's in a great shape. Probably wouldn't have done it had Tom not unretired.
"There was always a possibility (Brady could unretire), so we were going to wait until the last minute. We were making plans in case he didn't, but thank goodness he did."
Indeed, the waiting proved to be the hardest part and it all worked out.
Now, Arians is the Buccaneers' senior football consultant -- whatever that means.
"It's whoever needs help, I'm helping," Arians said. "The owner needs something done, Byron wants me to help him with a red-zone package, I'll do it. Todd, situational football, I'll do it. I'll be around."
Arians added that he feels "great" physically and that he "lost 50 pounds during the season," despite having torn his Achilles while running in the pool.
He's excited to root on Brady, who he once again underscored he has no rift with.
"Tom's fantastic and I enjoy being around him," Arians said. "I look forward to the future and watching him continue to play great and Todd run the ship."
He'll likewise be rooting for Bowles to continue to steer the Buccaneers' ship into championship waters, and he'll continuing stumping for the star that is Leftwich to rise to the head-coaching ranks.
