TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially signed Bruce Arians as their next head coach. The story was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Buccaneers now finalizing deal to make Bruce Arians their next head coach, per sources. The former Cardinals’ HC will be the Bucs next HC.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 8, 2019
Arians had previously said he would only be interested in the Cleveland job, but later said he would listen to offers in Tampa due to his relationship with Jason Licht.
The Bucs will have to send their 2019 6th round pick to Arizona to acquire the rights to hire Arians, and the Cardinals will send their 2019 7th round pick to Tampa Bay.
Arians is 66 years old, and retired from the Arizona Cardinals following the 2017 season.
He has a reputation for developing quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck.
Bruce Arians is one of the NFL’s most well-respected coaches over the past two decades and we are excited to have him leading our team. Throughout this process, we focused on finding the right coach with a proven ability to elevate our players and lead our team forward. Bruce has played a large role in the development and career success of some of our league’s best players and we look forward to seeing him continue that work here with our franchise
The Bucs recently fired head coach Dirk Koetter after three seasons with the team. In a press conference, General Manager Jason Licht said a new coach would have the opportunity to bring his own staff on board.
Ian Rapaport also announced Arians has some coaches in mind already.
The #Bucs are signing Bruce Arians to a 4-year deal with a fifth-yaer option, source said. Among the coaches Arians hopes to finalize deals with: Harold Goodwin as Run Game Coordinator/OLine, Byron Leftwich as Pass Game Coordinator and Clyde Christianson as QB coach.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 8, 2019
Rumors are circulating that recently fired Jets coach Todd Bowles is the top target for defensive coordinator.
Arians is the 12th head coach in franchise history.
