Report: Tom Brady Knew Bruce Arians Would Step Down Weeks Ago
March 30th, 2022
“Tom, now that you are back, I’ve got to let you in on a secret.”
Joe knows all sorts of folks are out there connecting dots to make sense of what doesn’t make sense: that a healthy Bucco Bruce Arians, days after having the greatest quarterback of all time return to the team, decided he’s had enough.
For those just awakening from a slumber, Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians announced earlier this evening he is retiring as head coach. Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was promoted to the job.
Joe cannot remember the last time an NFL head coach voluntarily stepped down with the NFL draft less than a month away. But here we are.
So the following likely won’t do much to extinguish the conspiracy fires blazing among Bucs fandom. Jenna Laine of ESPN reports that just days after Tom Brady announced he would return to the Bucs, Arians informed him he was stepping down.
Was delay in the retirement announcement because Brady tried to talk him out of it? So was Brady actively recruiting free agents to the Bucs with the knowledge he didn’t even know who the Bucs’ coach would be?
These are truly strange times.
Source tells me that Bruce Arians informed Tom Brady that he was stepping aside shortly after Brady announced he was returning.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) March 31, 2022
March 30th, 2022 at 10:24 pm
Brady is calling the shots, as he should be
March 30th, 2022 at 10:28 pm
Bowles deal is 5 years. 👀
March 30th, 2022 at 10:28 pm
Arians was crowing, according to IRA, a couple days ago about how excited he was to get Brady back. This is some BS being trotted out.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:30 pm
I hate all this BS about people saying there’s a rift between BA and Brady. It’s ridiculous. BA knew he was gonna step down, he told Brady, and I am 100% positive they knew Todd Bowles was going to take over.
Just like LICHT and BA were talking to Brady for a week before he came back, the Buccaneers know what they’re doing and are communicating. What they’re not doing is airing every little thing out in public.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:33 pm
David
Maybe you’re right .
And maybe we should take Jenna’s tweet and flip it around.🤔
March 30th, 2022 at 10:35 pm
Brady isn’t running things… but he knows what is happening as soon as the front office decides. I’m sure if Arians told him he was quitting, that he also told him Bowles would take over.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:37 pm
@JoeBucsfan you have to be loving all of this with your site getting so much attention and traffic !!! Let me ask you since Baker has one year at 18 million do you think the Bucs send Trask and a pick and hope the Browns eat 12 of it ? I would take Baker over Trask any day of the week
March 30th, 2022 at 10:43 pm
sasquatch Says:
March 30th, 2022 at 10:35 pm
Brady isn’t running things
____________________
^LOL
March 30th, 2022 at 10:43 pm
Brady is OBVIOUSLY running things. As it should be.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:45 pm
New NFL concept pioneered by Team Glazer: The “QB/Head Coach”.
As it should be, in the case of Tom Brady.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:46 pm
Yucs2Bucs:
Unless Brady quickly retires, the answer is no. Bucs barely have enough cash to sign their rookies for 2022, and both Gronk and Suh are out there. Thanks for the kind words.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:47 pm
And not surprised Bruce stepped down and congratulate him because he was a big part of getting a ring and becoming the winning head coach for the Bucs. I honestly didn’t think BA looked healthy last year from his colouring to his weight, but 50 years in the league will probably do that to you ? I’m not super confident in Bowles and yes he had a winning record for the Fins 2-1, but where does that leave Lefty and with Tommy having all this power is that a good thing if he only stays for this year. Yes we got better on the offensive side, but our D is very suspect and old ( yes the corners, safety, and one LB are young ) but David and Gholston better years are behind them name yes they are good leaders, but no one can say LVD play on the field last year was that good and that’s concerning !!! I really hope they just focus on Defense in the draft even though I would love that OL from Boston College.. I obviously believe in Brady, but I would love to see them get Baker
March 30th, 2022 at 10:49 pm
Brady new deal tomorrow
March 30th, 2022 at 10:51 pm
Slow news day. People really digging dip thinking this has anything to do with Brady. I really think this is what it is Bruce is almost 70. Dude just doesn’t want all that pressure. I really don’t think much will change. He will still be involved with the team. Some of the younger coaches will have to take on more of a role is all.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:52 pm
Brady is in complete control
March 30th, 2022 at 10:54 pm
NE patriots fan
No doubt.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:57 pm
BA still a consultant so it’s not like he was recruiting and signing before he left the franchise.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:57 pm
Gronk and new players sign tomorrow
March 30th, 2022 at 10:57 pm
SHE MADE A TYPO:
Should be “shortly BEFORE Brady announced he was returning.”
It’s becoming clear (sure seems so) that the Glazers “made a deal” with Tom when he came to England that Arians would step aside if Tom would come back.
Having Arians “move to a front office role” seems like Reputation Management. Think of how much worse it look if Arians was just leaving completely.
ALSO… THINK ABOUT THIS…
It did seem a little fishy that Todd Bowles was offered a Head Coaching position by other teams if you really think about it. Regardless of that last playcall in the Rams game (stuff happens), a lot of teams coveted Bowles and he was poised to make a run as a head coach again.
So when NO TEAM offered him the job nor him signing with another team, it does raise some “common sense” RED FLAGS doesn’t it?
With so many teams in need of a decent new Head Coach, it’s very unlikely he wasn’t going to get a new job.
WELL… he had already GOTTEN A NEW HEAD COACHING JOB many many weeks ago. It was all part of the “Brady Deal” to get Tom to come back (have Arians step down).
THIS is yet another reason Bowles didn’t land a new head coaching job, it was already in motion for him to become the Bucs new Head Coach.
March 30th, 2022 at 10:59 pm
If Howard was a Glazer he would be foolish not give Brady complete control. Brady will use that control to the best of his ability (which is a lot of ability) to simply win another SB and make Howard very happy.
As it should be.
March 30th, 2022 at 11:00 pm
I made a TYPO: I meant it does seem a littly fishy Todd Bowles WASN’T offered another Head Coaching job.
It’s because he was already set to become the Bucs head coach many weeks ago.
March 30th, 2022 at 11:00 pm
BradyBucs Says:
March 30th, 2022 at 10:57 pm
It’s becoming clear (sure seems so) that the Glazers “made a deal” with Tom when he came to England that Arians would step aside if Tom would come back.
________________________________
^This
March 30th, 2022 at 11:01 pm
Howard,
When you’re at Brady’s level, and with so much experience, he really can just effectively call his own plays. No reason NOT to give that guy maximum control as a player.
March 30th, 2022 at 11:02 pm
Great minds and all that….
March 30th, 2022 at 11:04 pm
LOL maybe AB returns??
March 30th, 2022 at 11:04 pm
Let’s face it…
When you’ve won *7* Super Bowl titles and been in the league over 20 years… considered the GOAT… And you’re about to be 45 years old…
…the last thing you need (or WANT) is a coach that sometimes yells at you or causes other tension & stress. That’s just Arians’ style but even he admits he yelled at Brady and got into it at times.
Brady is at a point to call his own shots, and he just doesn’t want to play anymore under those types of conditions. You can’t blame him.
March 30th, 2022 at 11:05 pm
Like Tom Brady in England, this was something known by the Bucs and Glazers for weeks. “Unretirement” biggest ever publicity stunt for a Super Bowl win.
March 30th, 2022 at 11:05 pm
I think AB burned a bridge with the Bucs AND Brady that can’t be repaired. We gave Gage a huge contract so I don’t see it being possible (or needed).
March 30th, 2022 at 11:07 pm
Serioulsy. Brady could are less bout drama and perceptions and politics. ALL he wants is SB’s…as it should be.
Howard could very seriously see AB returning to the Bucs
March 30th, 2022 at 11:07 pm
They need to change the name to the Tampa Bay Bradyneers 🏴☠️ anyone like @David and others that thinks things were all roses and no rifts between the QB and Coach maybe just don’t want to see it or are blind ? Kinda like not seeing Will Smith slapping the smallest guy at the Oscars or even scarier the POTUS aka Joey B cognitive decline. It’s real guys and can’t think of one coach that would quit after getting Rings aka TB12 back for another season 😳 Would love to have been a fly on the wall when he spoke to the brass about meeting his demands or requirements for coming back to the Bradyneers. Go Bucs
March 30th, 2022 at 11:12 pm
Oops meant Go Brady’s!!!!
March 30th, 2022 at 11:43 pm
I do not actually care about the reasons. Bruce Arians isn’t leaving the organization. He’s giving up a title so that Bowles gets a long-term contract and a superbowl credit as head coach.
Really, it doesn’t matter. This year, we’ll get a ring. Next year? Well, no more Brady then. Even Arians said he didn’t want to leave Bowles with a losing team by waiting a year.
March 31st, 2022 at 12:02 am
The timeline adds up in that Brady returned knowing who the head coach would be and he knew it wasn’t going to be Bruce Arians.
Come on guys, you think Tom Brady retired for 40 days, returned, and was shocked to find the guy who got in a fight with AB and literally told reporters that he’d keep Brady hostage for ‘5 first round picks’ is out the door? You think the GOAT is bowing down to a coach he played 2 seasons with who’s only HC title is with him at QB?
You take Brady and someone’s grandma coaching the team over Bruce Arians and Blaine Gabbert, it’s that simple.
March 31st, 2022 at 12:18 am
Bye ammonia brain
March 31st, 2022 at 12:27 am
LOL Brady *VERY MUCH* cares about perceptions.
March 31st, 2022 at 12:48 am
So I posted yesterday that if BL was made head coach Brady retires a buc and it got censored and never posted which is no big deal but man I was almost right. I think TB let the Glazers know he would not sign an extension and they read between the lines. When we were pursuing Baker Mayfield that made no sense unless they knew Brady had one more year then done. Other thought I’d having BA retire was only way Brady came back and he still plans to leave. Hopefully that’s not the case.
March 31st, 2022 at 12:53 am
When Arians got hired, he made a huge deal about how he was coming back in order to setup Bowles and Leftwich for future head coaching jobs. Well, mission accomplished. I 100% believe Arians, once he knew Brady was back, said here’s his chance to hand over the team to Bowles, and leave Leftwich in a position to clearly have a HC job next year as people won’t think Arians is running the offense.
This all lines up with what Arians said from the beginning, what everyone said, he was probably going to be here for 3-years and hand off the job to Bowles if they had success.
As for the delay — if Arians leaves right after the season, and Brady is retired, then who is coming to Tampa to play QB when the offensive HC is gone? Are you getting a top guy? I can see Arians wanting to wait until the QB situation was settled. Then, once it was settled with Brady coming back, if Arians retires right then – then everyone says Brady got him fired – and Bowles spends the week at the NFL Owners Meeting being harassed by every reporter in the nation wanting a ‘scoop’ on how Brady undermined Arians.
If you go back to the beginning, and then look at the timing over the last few weeks, this all makes sense.
March 31st, 2022 at 12:57 am
Why should we believe any of the news coming out of these sham outlets like espn. Your sources are sh*t and your reporting is just shined up sh*t.
March 31st, 2022 at 1:12 am
Some people are so silly… Brady barely runs his own household yet you want to believe he is dictating who coaches the team. Like any great player at his level of experience and success he has greater influence on organizational decisions than some rookie or guy who has never won, but like every other player, ultimately his job is to play. Coaching and being the GM are full time jobs, not something you do in addition to playing. No doubt at his level he would have been informed of an impending coaching change before announcing his return. He has earned that level of respect. But to believe he can hold the team hostage with a “I will stay retired unless you fire the coach” power move is silly.
March 31st, 2022 at 1:14 am
tom brady is the new head coach and qb…
todd bowles looks like the head coach, but isn’t…lefty is a lame duck OC, and he will negotiate the plays with tom via the headset – yet tom will call whatever he feels is correct, overriding all lefty’s calls that he doesn’t like…because being the OC is really also tom’s job…
the 2 combo defensive coordinators will just bullsh!t with each other on headsets so it looks real…while todd bowl who looks like the head coach, will be actually coordinating the defense…as it should be…
got it…?
good !
March 31st, 2022 at 1:18 am
the only problem is when we really really do need an actual factual head coach — and at times you need one to make a proper executive decision — there won’t be one…
and this problemo shall arise from time to time…
and after a loss everyone will be kicking rocks, while BA laughs at them all from his hammock
March 31st, 2022 at 2:35 am
Well said Adam!
March 31st, 2022 at 4:39 am
A whole lot of fantasy island talk, “Le Plane Le Plane”
I wonder just how many on here have actually spoken to Brady?
Brady this and Brady that, it has to be true, it just has to, because I am a legend in my own mind lol, and this and that lololol
The bottom line is the Bucs are in great shape for this year. After that we will see.
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 31st, 2022 at 5:17 am
Bonzai & Rod … Well at least two JBFers are making sense. All these conspiracy theories are nothing but pure speculation. Like you said Rod, BA told us when he was hired what was going to happen … and it did. Obviously there’s a lot of pressure on Coach TB to get the Bucs to the top of the mountain this year because 2023 & beyond will almost certainly be a whole different story unless the salary CAP massively increases AND Tom Brady sticks around.
I wish that I was as confident as you Bonzai that ‘This year, we’ll get a ring’. I think the offense will be fine, but our defense still concerns me in all 3 position groups. We have to get younger up-front, but we’re replacing future HOFers, and we’ve got to do that with comparable talent. Not so easy to do. Gut feel is still that Bucs will go heavy defense this year with our Top-3 picks. Interesting times ahead.
March 31st, 2022 at 6:15 am
You mean couldn’t care less. You’re saying he cares and that there’s a level of less caring he could achieve. Brady is all about crafting perceptions.
March 31st, 2022 at 6:21 am
Some of you need a hobby. You’re worse than a sewing circle! Seriously!
March 31st, 2022 at 6:50 am
Mark today on your calendars. Been an NFL fan for about 60 yrs. I’ve been interviewing people for health insurance for 26 yrs. Why would i say that? In all this time a person should learn SOMETHING. I’ve learned how to read people. Am I wrong sometimes? Of course. But if y’all think there was any problems between BA and the GOAT, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Just wait till Todd wants to do something stupid, (and he will), and Tom wants to do it the right way!!!!!! As I was pouring my coffee I heard that Todd was the new head coach, I felt like I missed the rapture. NOW i hope and pray that i’m wrong. But please mark today on your calendar. Where’s my evidence? You’ve heard it before. Not doubling Tyreek hill untill he had 200 yds IN THE 1ST QTR. Ask all 80,000 fans in that stadium and 79,999 would say “WHAT THE FRICK” Not doubling the NUMBER ONE receiver in the freaking Super Bowl. If we make it to the SB, Todd will pull a Mike Tomlin and blow it. Mark it on your calendars folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 31st, 2022 at 6:55 am
GOB; Bye ammonia brain; hello no brain. Didn’t you see the Wizard of Oz? Todd is the one that said “how do i know i have a brain if it’s not working?”
March 31st, 2022 at 6:58 am
“LOL the Naive Bucsfan
The Glazers begged 1 last time for GM Brady to return in England when they invited Brady to see the Manchester United Soccer game
This unretirement was a HUGE decision by the Goat ONLY caused by a HUGE decision by the Glazers to remove BA
People here know Kobe Faker and BFF Jenna Laine has a special relationship and benefits
Jenna isnt telling you the exact truth. GM Brady is returning because BA would go to the FO if he unretired
**Jenns L talks in her sleep”
Kobe Faker
March 31st, 2022 at 6:58 am
Is it possible that Brady wouldn’t play if Bowles remained as DC? Bowles will have less influence on this years team as head coach versus calling defensive plays (like the ending of the Rams game). Just maybe… Brady will have a say in the next DC. BA wanted to save Bowles so they proposed this plan to Brady as a compromise. I don’t believe Brady had a HUGE problem with BA, however Brady didn’t like the lack of discipline on and off the field from JL and BA. Do u think it’s a coincidence that each of them dropped a 100 pounds. Brady measures every raisin he eats and for him to see the undisciplined living, which showed up on the defensive side of the ball was more than he could take. He was gone unless that changed. Just my two cents
March 31st, 2022 at 8:26 am
Joe would be less confused if he stopped relying on Arians as a trusted source.
March 31st, 2022 at 8:28 am
Here’s the bottom line Tom Brady has the keys to every car at one Buc place now. He can do whatever he wants whenever he wants offensively, tell me that isn’t the most frightening thing on this planet for the rest of the NFL. And George Blanda’s playing record maybe just got flushed down the toilet with this move.
March 31st, 2022 at 8:56 am
Of course he did, he got him canned.
March 31st, 2022 at 9:11 am
Todd Bowles sucks. Nobody wants him as their coach this was all done to get Bowles a SB ring as a head coach, figure out the rest.