Tom Brady's return played a big role in Bruce Arians handing coaching job to Todd Bowles: Report

The news of (now former defensive coordinator) Todd Bowles taking over as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach for Bruce Arians, who is moving to the front office, took the league (and fans) by surprise.

Many believed that Tom Brady's return would have been more than enough to have the 69-year-old continue his quest for his second Lombardi Trophy as a head coach.

But Brady's return had just the opposite effect. According to Los Angeles Times writer Sam Farmer, Arians felt comfortable leaving the sidelines and handing the reins over to Todd Bowles because the seven-time Super Bowl champion was back, and the team could once again confidently compete for a Super Bowl.

Here's what Bruce Arians had to say about the matter, per Farmer:

“I don’t need to win another 15 games for me to be happy. I’d rather see Todd in a position to be successful and not have to take some [bad] job. I’m probably retiring next year anyway, in February. I control the narrative right now. I can’t control it in February because [if] Brady gets hurt and we go 10-7, it’s an open interview for the job.”

The team announced that Arians would be transitioning from the sidelines to the front office as a Senior Football Consultant.

Bruce Arians also spoke with NBCSports about the impact of Tom Brady's return to the team on his decision:

"It hit me after the Super Bowl. I thought really hard about going out on top. Then it was like, nah, let’s go for two. The 2021 season was a grind with all the injuries but we're still winning and getting to where we got. [Immediately] two to three weeks afterwards [I thought] … if I quit, my coaches would get fired. I couldn’t do it then. Tom was kind of the key. When Tom decided to come back...and all of these guys are back now, it’s perfect timing for me just to go into the front office and still have the relationships that I love."

Can Todd Bowles lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl next season?

Kansas City Chiefs v Arizona Cardinals

Since Bruce Arians' arrival to the Buccaneers as head coach back in 2019, Bowles has served as the defensive coordinator for a team that previously struggled on that side of the football.

It wasn't the first time that the two coached together, as Bowles was also the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2014. Arians was the head coach of the Cardinals from 2013-2017.

Bowles' one year in Arizona was so impressive that it garnered him a head coaching job with the New York Jets from 2015-2018. In his lone season with the Cardinals, he was voted the Associated Press (AP's) Assistant Coach of the Year.

The (now) head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has a rather impressive track record of leading men and strategically putting together a game plan to stop opposing offenses.

If there are any questions, one should look no further than the Super Bowl LV defeat of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9 and held the high-octane offense of the Chiefs, led by Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce, to zero touchdowns.

The Bucs provided constant pressure on the former NFL MVP (Mahomes) with just their front four defensive linemen, which allowed the other seven defenders to roam in coverage.

The sky is the limit for Todd Bowles next season. With the return of Tom Brady and critical players still intact, no one should be surprised if the Buccaneers are once again hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February 2023.