Bruce Arians isn't going anywhere, per Bruce Arians.
After a local news report emerged Tuesday that Arians does not intend to return to the Arizona Cardinals after the 2017 season, the coach took to Twitter to refute the claims.
"Hearing reports I'm retiring. News to me," Arians typed. "Nothing could be further from truth & 100% focused on getting back on track at SF! #birdgang"
Arians has been with the franchise since 2013, when the Cardinals offered the journeyman coordinator his first full-time NFL coaching gig. In his five seasons there, Arians has piloted the Cards to a 44-26-1 record, two playoff appearances and a division title. He earned AP NFL Coach of the Year honors in his second season at the helm.
Arians has one year remaining on a four-year pact signed in 2015 and is under contract through 2018.
The report came at what might very well be the nadir of Arizona's season. The Cards are coming off a week that saw Arizona travel across the country and an ocean only to be shut out by the division-rival Rams and lose their starting quarterback to a broken arm likely for the remainder of the season.
Sitting at 3-4, Arizona is only two games behind in the standings, but it feels more fatal than that. Carson Palmer might never see a professional football field again; David Johnson remains sidelined, replaced by an aged Adrian Peterson; and Larry Fitzgerald is on his last legs.
The exodus out of the desert is approaching. Will Arians take part?
