Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians is scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery on Friday, February 6 in Philadelphia. Arians revealed the news on the Today show last week on NBC when he and former Buccaneers and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski were guests to promote a Super Bowl commercial about prostate cancer screening.

Arians appears in Tampa Bay red and pewter coaching attire in the commercial, and Gronkowski appears in his No. 87 Bucs uniform as well, which will certainly make Tampa Bay fans smile. The commercial promotes RelaxItsABloodTest.com, which is an easy blood test that screens for PSA levels that can catch and diagnose prostate cancer early.

“I’m doing fantastic,” Arians said. “I get my PSA checked every year. I keep looking for those double zeroes.”

Arians, the Bucs Ring of Honor inductee, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007 and had cancerous cells removed from his nose in 2013.

The entire Pewter Report staff is praying for a successful surgery for Arians and a healthy and speedy recovery.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Former Bucs Coach Bruce Arians Has Dealt With A Myriad Of Health Issues

Bruce Arians, who is 73, retired from coaching the Arizona Cardinals due to health issues after the 2017 season. He was hospitalized twice while he was the Cardinals head coach in 2016. He was diagnosed with diverticulitis in the 2016 preseason and then hospitalized again for second time due to chest pains that November.

In Arians’ 2017 book, “The Quarterback Whisperer,” he disclosed that doctors found renal cell carcinoma on his kidney after an ultrasound in the 2016 season, and had surgery to remove part of his kidney in February the next year.

Bucs NT Vita Vea, former head coach Bruce Arians and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: USA Today

After a year in retirement, he and general manager Jason Licht teamed up once again, as Arians accepted the head coaching job in Tampa Bay in 2019, replacing Dirk Koetter. The two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year underwent a health screening before becoming head coach and also gave up play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to remove some stress from the job.

After going 7-9 in his debut season in Tampa Bay, Arians helped lure quarterback to the Buccaneers the next year and led the team to a victory in Super Bowl LV in 2020. In 2021, the Buccaneers won a franchise-best 13 games but lost at home to the Rams in the NFC Divisional playoffs, ending the team’s quest for a repeat.

Arians suddenly retired after the 2021 season on March 30 at the age of 69, two weeks after free agency. He did not suggest that health was a reason at the time as he turned the team over to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Arians spent the next few seasons as a senior football consultant to Licht as he retired to Lake Oconee, Georgia.

Arians’ eight-year record as head coach in Indianapolis (as an emergency fill-in), Arizona and Tampa Bay is 80-48-1, including a 31-18 mark with the Buccaneers. Arians’ .633 winning percentage in Tampa Bay is the best in franchise history.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: USA Today