On Wednesday night, Bruce Arians’ retirement sent shockwaves through NFL circles. The Bucs shot caller announced he was moving to a front office role, leaving the head coaching duties to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Players found out last night, and already some are being called to do the rounds on social media.

Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Bucs outside linebacker Shaq Barrett was asked about his reaction to the news.

“It was shock,” Barrett said. “It was a wow moment. Because I didn’t see it coming at all. Especially after getting a lot of the guys back this offseason. But then, after reading about it, he said that’s one of the reasons why he left. Because he wanted Coach Bowles to be in a great position to succeed this year, instead of having a struggling rebuilding team. Either way, we would have been alright because we have a lot of great players on the team. I’m glad Coach Bowles got the opportunity. I’m ready to try to take that leap to get to the championship game again.”

Arians steps down with a 31-18 record as head coach of Tampa Bay. His .633 winning percentage is the highest in team history. His 31 wins are third-most in team history behind Jon Gruden (57) and Tony Dungy (54). Also, Arians’ 6-1 postseason record is the best in franchise history as well.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

But now the opportunity will be Bowles’ to lead the Bucs. The 58-year old, who was the league’s highest-paid defensive coordinator, previously coached the New York Jets from 2015-18. He posted a 24-40 record in his only full-time head-coaching job. But average-to-below-average quarterback play constantly limited Bowles in New York. And some of his defenses were terrific during that time. In Tampa Bay, Bowles will already have an outstanding offense at his disposal.

Count Barrett among the believers that Bowles is the right man for the job.

“Brilliant,” Barrett said. “As a defensive coordinator he was brilliant. He seemed like he always knew what the play was going to be. Always put us in the right position before the play. But when you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do, or not making plays or making mistakes? He most definitely is gonna give you an earful about it. But it wasn’t like calling you out or nothing. It was all in love. Because he earned that respect. We respect him like that. And he respects us and wants us to be at our best.”