Bruce Arians "retired" once before. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach has no plans to do so again any time soon.
Arians told the Pewter Report Podcast this week that he's not tied to Tom Brady, who signed a one-year extension through 2022, and plans to coach at least through his five-year contract, perhaps longer.
"Oh yeah, that's the plan. I don't have any plans on retiring," Arians said. "It's just, when do I not want to go back to work? When I'm not excited about going back to work then I'm cheating somebody. I'm cheating the Glazer family, I'm cheating my players. Right now I can't wait to get back to work. I don't know when that's going to happen, but no, I'm not tied to any players."
Not only is Arians not planning to retire alongside Brady, but the coach also said the prospect of winning with a younger quarterback, like rookie Kyle Trask, intrigues him post-Brady.
"I could get extremely excited about having another young quarterback and going to war with one," Arians said. "I'll be honest with you. I'd be excited to take Blaine Gabbert to war because I love Blaine Gabbert. I think he is the most underrated player in the NFL. So yeah, when it's not fun, then it will be time."
We're going to blow right past Arians' outsized praise of Gabbert -- who has never thrown for 2,300 yards in any season and averages 6.1 yards per attempt for his career. Clearly, the coach is feeling his oats on that one.
Arians previously walked away from coaching due to medical concerns. After his return, the 68-year-old said he's in good health and ready to keep coaching.
"Everything's great. I lost all that weight during the season, but just gained it all back," Arians said, chuckling. "I have to lose it again, but other than that I got a good, clean bill of health man. I'm still a C-plus. I'm good."
Arians has proven he trusts his coaching staff, particularly coordinators Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles. Letting them carry the load allows Arians to continue his coaching career in better condition. If his top lieutenants are ever hired away, we'll see what Arians has next in his succession plans.
