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On February 1, Tom Brady retired. On March 13, he unretired. Yesterday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians announced his retirement. Many believe the two events are connected, with speculation rife that the quarterback only returned on the condition that Arians moved on.
There's very little objective evidence regarding the quarterback's ill will toward Arians, but most are simply pointing to the timing of it all. Speaking on ESPN's KJM, Jay Williams speculated that the events were likely connected and that the quarterback forced Arians out the door. Here's what he said:
"This is straight up just sheer speculation. I'm a crazy fan on the outside looking in. When you hear rumors, and I'm glad we stated the facts, [but] when you hear rumors that the supposed quarterback that was on a boat with Steven Ross in Miami. And I'm thinking, I feel like that's Tom Brady."
Williams went on to mention how Sean Payton played into the situation.
"And you hear rumors about, hey, Sean Payton retires at the same time Tom Brady retires, and there's a plan for these two to be a package combo down in Miami and go back to the AFC East. And then I hear Bruce Arians days later saying at a post presser, 'Yeah, we'll take five ones for Tom,' then Tom realizing 'I guess I can't go anywhere.'"
Williams stated that, even though Brady and Arians backed each there, there was a beef that existed between the quarterback and head coach:
"But understanding the kind of beef that existed between Tom and Bruce Arians for a while that we've seen -- it's been on the record -- even though they backed each other here and there. They don't send Tom to come back. And then Bruce would be like, Well, I'm stepping into a different role. And elevates, it feels like the narrative fits, and it's a perfect storyline."
He wrapped up his point, saying what this situation simply feels like:
"Well, you know, Bruce wants to elevate Todd Bowles. And you know, there was already a plan to retire. It just doesn't line up to me though. From a fan sheer speculation perspective, Max. It feels like Tom came back. Tom was like, "Look, this is the way it's going to be. I can't have you. I can't."
Even with all the speculation surrounding the reason for Arians' retirement, Brady took to social media to thank Arians for their time together. He had many wonderful things to say about his now-former head coach:
"We all benefitted from your leadership and guidance, and I'm so proud of everything we accomplished." - Tom Brady via Twitter
Todd Bowles' history before Tom Brady
This will be Todd Bowles' third head-coaching stint. According to Pro Football Reference, Bowles coached a few games for the Miami Dolphins in 2011. The coach, however, got his true start in 2015 with the New York Jets. The team went 10-6 in his first season but went well under .500 over the next three years.
From 2016-2018, the team went 14-34. This will be the head coach's first chance since parting ways with the Jets in 2018. Of course, this will be a completely different situation because of Tom Brady. Will he be able to capitalize on it?
