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About the Author: Trevor Sikkema
Latest Bucs Headlines
It was a year of disappointing results in many ways for the Buccaneers, and due to this, there was speculation of who would be the next potential head coach of the team long before it was official that Dirk Koetter was out.
After more than a week of a coaching vacancy, the Bucs have their next leader, as Bruce Arians has agreed to become the next head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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
Arians is a former two-time AP Coach of the Year, once with the Colts in 2012 and once with the Cardinals in 2014. He is also a two-time Super Bowl Champion, as he won two rings while with the Pittsburgh Steelers, first as a wide receivers coach, then later as offensive coordinator.
His first stint as a head coach came when he took over as the interim head coach for the Colts in 2012 when Chuck Pagano had to leave the team due to illness. Arians led the team to a 9-3 record and a playoff birth.
Arians signed with the Arizona Cardinals to be their next head coach the following year, where he was with now Bucs GM Jason Licht for one season. In his first year, he led the team to an 11-5 record and a playoff birth, and the following season improved that record to 13-3 with another playoff birth. Arians went 7-8-1 and 8-8 the following two seasons before retiring from football at the end of 2017. He has since been with CBS as a broadcaster.
Arians is the Bucs’ fifth head coach in 10 years. None of the previous four coaches have posted anything close to a winning record during their time in Tampa Bay.
The Bucs are hoping Arians will bring a winning culture to the city of Tampa, as he has done at some many stops before as an assistant and head coach.
