An unexpected marquee figure might be adding himself to coaching carousel consideration this offseason.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said in an interview with Jordan Schultz that he is interested in exploring a potential return to the NFL head-coaching ranks.
"Now that I'm all healthy again, I got the itch again," Arians said. "So we'll see. Never say never."
Arians stepped down from the Buccaneers in March 2022, transitioning to a consultant role while ceding the head-coaching position to Todd Bowles. He cited several health concerns as driving factors behind the decision, though he long had hoped to leave the job to Bowles with the franchise in a good position.
In February, he underwent open-heart surgery to repair an aneurysm
he had been monitoring for years.
"I've got so much more energy, it's amazing," Arians said. "So we'll see what happens."
News: Super Bowl-winning HC Bruce Arians tells me he wants to return to coaching.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 12, 2026
“This is the first time I had the itch again. I had no desire to go back. … After open-heart surgery, I have so much more energy.”
Full interview drops soon! pic.twitter.com/QyNbIYmsyi
Arians, who no longer is in a consultant role with the Buccaneers, said he hadn't contemplated a return until mid-September.
At 74, Arians would become not only the oldest active head coach in the NFL – surpassing the Kansas City Chiefs' Andy Reid, 68 – but also the oldest in league history. He would eclipse Pete Carroll, who was 73 when he was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.
In 2020, Arians led the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl title in franchise history. His 31-18 regular-season record in three years left him with the best career winning percentage (.633) of any Tampa Bay coach.
Arians was also twice named the NFL's Coach of the Year. The first honor came in 2012, when he went 9-3 in filling in for Chuck Pagano as the Indianapolis Colts' interim head coach. The second came in 2014, when he led the Arizona Cardinals to an 11-5 mark.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Super Bowl-winning coach Bruce Arians interested in NFL return
