Bruce Arians - Pro Football Rumors

Bucs, Cardinals Complete Bruce Arians Trade

January 8th, 2019 at 7:21pm CST by Zachary Links

When the Buccaneers agreed to hire Bruce Arians, the NFL informed them that they would not need to send compensation to the Cardinals. Later, the Cardinals told the league office that they believed they still had a claim to his rights. In order to avoid a protracted argument, the Bucs have agreed to trade a sixth-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for Arians’ rights and a seventh-round pick.

Ultimately, the Bucs probably could have avoided giving up compensation, particularly since they previously got the green light from the league office. However, they want to hit the ground running with Arians, so they made a small concession enabling them to keep things simple.

The Bucs lured Arians out of retirement with a four-year deal that includes a team option for a fifth season. Already, much of Arians’ staff appears to be in place with Todd Bowles serving as the as the defensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich as the passing-game coordinator, and Harold Goodwin as the run-game overseer.

Buccaneers Zeroing In On Bruce Arians

January 8th, 2019 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are focusing on hiring Bruce Arians as their new coach and there is strong mutual interest, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Rapoport adds that negotiations between the two sides are likely to begin soon.

In recent days, talk of Arians coaching the Bucs has picked up serious steam. However, the club did ask Arians to take a physical as a part of their evaluation process, a step to ensure that the cancer survivor has the ability to take on the role and the stress that comes with it. Fortunately, it appears that Arians has the medical green light, which should allow him to accept the job if the two sides can reach agreement on terms.

In November, Arians indicated that the Browns were the “only” team that he would consider if he were to come out of retirement. But, so far, the Bucs have been the only team to engage him in talks. Arians’ itch to get back on the sidelines has likely outweighed his preference to coach in Cleveland and the opportunity to get former No. 1 pick Jameis Winston on track probably holds appeal for him.

The 66-year-old was relatively successful during his tenure in Arizona, leading the Cardinals to 49-30-1 record and a pair of playoff appearances, including an appearance in the 2015 NFC Championship Game. Off the field, he has managed to overcome a number of challenging obstacles. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007, had cancerous cells removed from his nose in 2013, dealt with renal cell carcinoma in 2016, and had part of his kidney removed in 2017.

Arians retired from coaching in January of last year, saying that he “wasn’t enjoying the game as much” as he had in the past.

Latest On Buccaneers’ Coaching Search

January 6th, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Rory Parks

The Buccaneers will interview Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard for their head coaching vacancy today, per Albert Breer of SI.com. We already heard that Richard would also be interviewing with the Dolphins and Jets today, so his Sunday will be pretty full.

But if Richard is going to land a head coaching gig in 2019, it does not appear that it will be with Tampa Bay. Just yesterday, the team interviewed former Colts and Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, and reports suggested that momentum was building towards a Arians-Bucs union.

Today, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) reports that Arians’ summit with the Buccaneers went very well, and that the 66-year-old could be announced as the team’s next head coach within the next few days. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times posits that no candidate for the Bucs’ job checks as many boxes as Arians, who has something of a reputation as a quarterback whisperer and who may be able to get the most out of Jameis Winston.

Arians stepped down from his Cardinals post after last season, having guided the club to two playoff berths and three 10-win campaigns. He spent the 2018 season working as a broadcaster with CBS.

If the Bucs do end up hiring Arians, they will not owe the Cardinals any compensation.

Coaching Updates: Arians, Bucs, Cardinals, Bowles, Eberflus, Browns, Munchak, Broncos

January 5th, 2019 at 6:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Ever since Bruce Arians stepped away from his job with the Cardinals, his name has been buzzed about as a potential head coaching candidate. He sat out the 2018 season while calling games for CBS, but appears set to return to the sidelines. He’s been publicly lobbying for the Browns’ job for a while now, but has seemingly now set his sights on the Buccaneers’ job. Because Arians retired with time still left on his contract with Arizona, the consensus was that whatever team would want to hire Arians would need to give some compensation to the Cardinals, but that’s apparently not the case, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

Florio notes in a tweet that the Cardinals would’ve needed to exercise their option on Arians in order to have a claim on him, which they didn’t do. As such, Florio writes in his article that the Buccaneers didn’t even bother to notify the Cardinals they were interviewing him. As of now, Arians seems like a strong favorite to be Jameis Winston‘s next coach.

Here’s more from the coaching carousel:

We’ve heard that former Jets coach Todd Bowles will be in high demand as a defensive coordinator and possibly even head coach, and he might be even more sought after than anyone realized. Multiple head coaching candidates in this cycle are telling people they’ll try to get Bowles to be their defensive coordinator, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). It’s unclear exactly what teams might be in the mix, although there have been rumors he could reunite with Arians wherever he lands. Bowles was Arians’ defensive coordinator in Arizona for two seasons before being hired by the Jets.
We heard on Black Monday that the Browns were hoping to interview Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus for their vacancy, and now the interview has been scheduled. Eberflus will meet with Cleveland’s team tomorrow, the day after his team’s playoff win over the Texans, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN (Twitter link). Eberflus has done a great job running Indy’s young defense this year, and has been a hot name in this cycle.
Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak has “strong interest” in the Broncos’ opening, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Schefter notes that Munchak has “professional and personal ties to Denver” and that he shares an agent with Broncos GM John Elway. Munchak, who turned down a head coaching job last year according to Schefter, was the Titans’ head coach for three years before being fired and landing in Pittsburgh. Schefter writes that Munchak has been very reluctant to leave “because of his feelings for the Steelers”, but it sounds like the Broncos will be able to pull him away if they want to.

Buccaneers Interview Bruce Arians

January 5th, 2019 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Saturday is bringing some fast-moving Buccaneers-Bruce Arians developments. Shortly after being linked to the job, Arians interviewed for it, the Bucs announced.

There’s been a sense in the building Arians will end up landing this job. Arians began his campaign to return to the sidelines by saying the only job he would take was the Browns’ position, but the former Cardinals coach has obviously expanded his parameters. This is the only position for which he’s interviewed thus far.

Tampa Bay has already interviewed Kansas City OC Eric Bieniemy and Vikings DC George Edwards and wants to meet with Dallas secondary coach Kris Richard. Arians, though, has more experience and is the only candidate in this group with past HC work on his resume. On top of that, Arians is a two-time coach of the year.

The Bucs kept this quiet, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) this interview occurred Saturday morning, and have a rather significant requirement for their next head coach. The team will bring back Jameis Winston for 2019, despite his shaky on- and off-field track record since entering the league. But Arians has known Winston for years, per Schefter, and worked with Bucs GM Jason Licht when the latter was the Cardinals’ VP of player personnel in 2013. Licht was part of the group that ended up green-lighting Arians becoming the Arizona HC five years ago, per SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).

Arians, 66, stepped down from his Cardinals post after last season. He guided the them to two playoff berths and three 10-win seasons, peaking during Arizona’s 2015 run to the NFC championship game. The former HC and longtime OC spent this season working with CBS, but a return to the sidelines has gained steam. Judging by how fast this is moving, it’s quite possible the Bucs are sold Arians can end their 11-season playoff drought.

If the Bucs do end up making this move, they will be required to compensate the Cardinals in some fashion. Arians’ Arizona contract contained a team option for 2019, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter), and the NFL sent a seemingly Arians-centric memo to teams regarding this recently.

Buccaneers Eyeing Bruce Arians For Head Coach

January 5th, 2019 at 12:03pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers seem to have an eye on one particular target for their head coaching vacancy. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), Tampa Bay has “real interest” in former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians. Rapoport notes that the interest is mutual, and the two sides could meet soon. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero echoes that sentiment, noting that there’s been “a sense in the building” that Arians would ultimately get the job.

After serving as the Cardinals head coach for five seasons, Arians retired from the job last offseason. The 66-year-old was relatively successful during his tenure in Arizona, leading the Cardinals to 49-30-1 record and a pair of playoff appearances (including an appearance in the 2015 NFC Championship Game).

Arians was hired as an analyst by CBS back in May, but there have been continued whispers that he could seek another NFL gig. The coach was reportedly pushing for the Browns head coaching job, but Arians said in December that he wasn’t expecting to land the position. The head coach also recently said that it’s probably a “99-to-1” chance that he’ll be back on the sidelines in 2019.

As our Head Coaching Tracker shows, the Buccaneers have interviewed or will interview three candidates: Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, and Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard.

Coaching Rumors: Gase, Broncos, Dolphins, Arians, Buccaneers, Jets, Cardinals

December 31st, 2018 at 1:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Adam Gase might’ve been the most surprising firing of Black Monday, and he likely won’t be out of a job too long. Gase has “heard from the majority of teams with an HC opening” within hours of being let go by the Dolphins, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link), who notes that Gase will begin taking head coaching interviews this week. While Gase has been linked to numerous jobs, including the Browns’ opening, don’t expect a reunion in Denver. Although he was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator during their peak with Peyton Manning, GM John Elway said at his press conference today Gase isn’t a candidate “at this time”, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Gase got the Dolphins job because of his work with the Broncos, but there have long been rumors of bad blood between him and Elway. Elway reportedly told interested teams he didn’t think Gase was ready to be a head coach years ago, and Gase ran up the score on the Bronocs as revenge last year, kicking an onside kick while up 24 points late in the game. While it won’t be in Denver, at this point it would be a surprise if Gase isn’t a head coach somewhere next season.

Here’s more on the coaching carousel:

Speaking of Gase, the Dolphins will be undergoing a complete rebuild as they look for his replacement. They shook up their front office earlier today and are likely to move on from Ryan Tannehill this offseason. As for their next coach, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald “would be shocked” if Dan Campbell doesn’t get an interview (Twitter link). Campbell, the Saints’ assistant head coach, has already been requested by the Browns and is expected to be a hot candidate. He was the Dolphins’ interim coach in 2015 after they fired Joe Philbin four games into the season. Miami has also put in a request to interview Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, according to Schefter (Twitter link), adding to a long list of teams looking to talk to Flores.
While former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has repeatedly said the only job he would come out of retirement for would be the Browns’, he might be having a change of heart. The legendary offensive coach told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link), that he knows Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, and “would listen” if the Bucs came calling. Tampa is almost certainly looking for an offensive coach to revitalize Jameis Winston‘s career, and Arians would be a very intriguing option.
The Jets have made their first two interview requests as they look to replace Todd Bowles. The team is looking to talk to Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link), and also wants an interview with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). Rapsheet also tweets the team requested an interview with Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, but Campbell denied the request. Finally, Rapoport notes in a fourth tweet that the Jets are one of two new teams interested in former Lions coach Jim Caldwell, along with the Browns. All of these requests are in line with the thinking that the Jets are interested in bringing in an offensive coach to work with Sam Darnold.
The Jets aren’t the only team interested in Bieniemy, as Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports tweets that the Buccaneers and Dolphins have reached out as well. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network added in a tweet that the Cardinals have also requested an interview, bringing the number of teams interested in Bieniemy to four. Given the success that members of the Andy Reid coaching tree has had in recent years, it’s not surprising he’s a sought after name.
Speaking of the Cardinals, the team has requested Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor, Rapoport tweets. The Cardinals are in desperate need of an offensive coach who can help Josh Rosen after Rosen’s woeful rookie campaign, and Taylor is very highly thought of in some circles. Rapoport notes the team has “been doing work on him”, so this seems like more than just a courtesy interview.

Bruce Arians Doesn’t Expect Browns Interview

December 13th, 2018 at 7:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Appearing on the Rich Eishen Show (Twitter link) on Thursday, Bruce Arians reiterated his interest in landing the Browns’ head coaching position, but also noted he doesn’t expect to be interviewed.

Arians also indicated he would not call offensive plays were he to be hired as a head coach. That’s in concert with Arians’ previous statements regarding the Cleveland job, as he’s said he’d keep Freddie Kitchens — who coached under Arians with the Cardinals — in place as the Browns’ OC. Arians, a cancer survivor, said he’s received a “clean bill of health” from doctors, tweets Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan.

Although Arians had been expected to be a hot name in NFL head coaching searches this offseason, Arians himself recently said it’s probably a “99-to-1” chance that he’ll be back on the sidelines in 2019. If Arians does take another position, the Cardinals could theoretically attempt to seek draft pick compensation from his new club. Arians still had time left on his contract when he retired in January, so Arizona still holds his rights.

Arians, 66, served as an offensive coordinator for several teams before taking over as the Colts’ interim head coach in 2012. He served in that capacity while Pagano dealt with a cancer diagnosis, leading Indianapolis to nine wins while taking home Coach of the Year honors. Arians subsequently landed in the desert, and posted a 49-30-1 regular season record with the Cardinals over five seasons.

Bruce Arians Unlikely To Coach In 2019?

December 7th, 2018 at 10:42am CST by Zachary Links

Bruce Arians has been publicly lobbying for the Browns’ job, but the 66-year-old isn’t necessarily expecting to get pulled out of retirement. When asked if he’ll coach in 2019, Arians said, “It’s probably 99-to-1 against,” (Twitter link via Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report.)

It’s unclear whether Arians is having second thoughts about a return to the sidelines or if he has received word that the Browns are not interested in his services. It’s also possible that Arians, a unique character, is simply having some fun with the rumor mill. As recently as three weeks ago, we heard that Arians would likely be considered in 2019 head coaching searches.

Arians has said that he would only consider coaching if it was for the Browns’ position, one that may not truly be available if they finish out strong under Gregg Williams. The Packers’ head coaching job recently opened up with the firing of Mike McCarthy, but he is rumored to have “very little” interest in that post.

Arians posted a 49-30-1 regular season record with the Cardinals over five seasons. He also guided the Colts to a 9-3 finish over the last three months of the 2012 season when serving as their interim HC.

Extra Points: Manning, Hughes, Arians

December 4th, 2018 at 9:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Following Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes was seen on video yelling at official Roy Ellison. The player was restrained by a team employee before being led back to the locker room.

ESPN’s Mike Rodak tweets that the veteran will not face a suspension for the incident, although ProFootballTalk.com’s Charean Williams says Hughes could still be fined. Meanwhile, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Ellison has been placed on administrative leave while the NFL continues to review the matter. Hughes accused the umpire of calling him a vulgar name, and Rapoport notes that Ellison was suspended back in 2013 following an incident with Trent Williams.

The 30-year-old Hughes is having another productive season with Buffalo, compiling 31 tackles, six sacks, and three forced fumbles through 12 games.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

Bruce Arians is apparently very focused on the Browns head coaching job. According to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss (via Twitter), the 66-year-old has “probably very little” interest in the Packers gig. The two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year winner previously said he would only consider becoming a head coach again if he were hired by Cleveland, where he was an offensive coordinator between 2001 and 2003. After serving as the Cardinals head coach for five seasons, Arians retired at the end of the 2017 campaign.
During an appearance on WFAN660, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur was non-committal when asked about Eli Manning‘s status heading into next season. “Those are offseason discussions,” he said (via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano on Twitter). “I’m really pleased with how he’s played of late. … I can’t answer that. I’m fond of everything Eli brings to the table.” The 37-year-old Manning has been having a solid season, completing a career-high 67.9-percent of his passes for 3,263 yards, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
The Vikings will audition Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell this week, reports Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). The 28-year-old has won a pair of Grey Cup MVPs and two CFL Most Outstanding Player awards during his seven seasons in the league. Mitchell also won the Walter Payton Award during his time at Eastern Washington. The Vikings are currently rostering Trevor Siemian and Kyle Sloter behind Kirk Cousins.
Former Seahawks and Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner was sentenced to eight years in prison after he pleaded no contest to attempted murder, reports TMZ Sports. The 34-year-old was accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, where he then “allegedly chased her, dragged her and then smothered her in a carpet.” Browner also pleaded no contest to two counts of child endangerment, while the remaining chargers (including robbery, burglary, and false imprisonment) were dropped.