Why Not Bring In Bruce Arians To Take Over Offense?
November 13th, 2026
What is the delay, gentlemen?
Yesterday, Bucco Bruce Arians sure livened up a stale Thursday afternoon.
Arians, who guided the Bucs to a Super Bowl title at the dawn of this decade, told NFL insider Jordan Schultz that he has the “itch” to coach again and is looking to get back into coaching.
Arians admitted he had yet to speak to anyone in the NFL about a job. And that his admission on Schultz’s podcast was his first public statement that he was interested in returning to coaching.
If the Bucs are a serious team considering a serious run at the playoffs, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht should have already had Air Glazer fueled up and waiting for Arians at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport, ready to swing down to Tampa.
The Bucs need a good offensive coordinator. Everyone but KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles, Team Glazer and Licht seems to know that.
Perhaps Licht doesn’t want to stick his nose into a man’s coaching room? Maybe Team Glazer wants to see if the team, with failed offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, can sink or swim on its own?
Joe has a hunch Team Glazer wants a playoff berth and a home playoff game. Bowles earlier this week said he was making no changes in the play-calling duties, which is basically saying a condemned man is waiting for the executioner.
As horrible as the Bucs’ passing game is, Robinson may just drag the entire coaching staff down with him. It’s that bad.
No one can tell Joe that Arians wouldn’t help the Bucs’ passing game. How could he not? Because it is that bad.
The Bucs may not be built for Arians’ no-risk-it, no-biscuit offense. But guess what? The Bucs’ passing game isn’t built for sh!t! It isn’t built for anything other than to make receivers vanish and make Mayfield look like Marcus Mariota.
This past week had milemarkers along the road for the Bucs to improve their team. They did nothing.
The Bucs could have started selling used parts for draft picks. The Bucs will need those picks the way Robinson is going — to trade up for a quarterback because no decent new coach is going to want to touch Mayfield after Robinson trashes him.
Instead, crickets.
The Bucs could have moved a player or two to go get a receiver, which the team needs badly.
Again, crickets.
And of course, Bowles basically said Robinson has job security. For what reason, Joe has zero logical explanation. Bowles chose no decision over a decision that could help the team.
If the Bucs are truly serious about the playoffs, they’ve done an excellent job of masking inaction as action.
Now the Bucs have a golden opportunity to bring back one of the best offensive minds in the game to fix the passing game. Why does Joe have the idea they’d prefer Robinson destroy things rather than Arians fix things?
Some Bucs fans will remember the team’s indifference about winning when it comes time to renew season tickets.
Will Team Glazer, Licht or Bowles take action and go get Arians? Or sit on their hands and let a tremendous opportunity float away along with their playoff hopes?
If the Bucs do miss the playoffs, it’s no one else’s fault but theirs.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:06 am
Well said. They can simply make Arians the assistant coach and head of offense so Bowles feathers aren’t ruffled…
November 13th, 2026 at 7:07 am
They are not making the playoffs with this offense. At some point no passing game will catch up to them. The defense can’t keep averaging 4 takeaways a game. That’s the only things keeping them in games besides Bucky and the run game and he will wear down eventually also. They will win enough games to screw them selves out of a decent draft pick and not win the division.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:18 am
If this was the offseason, sure .. but from a practical standpoint, even with the bye week (now mostly gone) how could another OC, especially one as established as BA, install a new offense, new verbiage, new playbook and have the team assimilate it in just over a week?
November 13th, 2026 at 7:23 am
“Why Not Bring In Bruce Arians To Take Over Offense?”
Pipe dream Jose. File this under “too good to be true.”
November 13th, 2026 at 7:24 am
Let’s not forget Bowles ultimately has to leave.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:24 am
Nope, oh no, under a new coach Arians can be OC Bowles has got to go PERIOD JOE. You know this in your heart dammit, he will find a way to screw up the best situation. Look what he was given and has now. I’m not certain Mayfield is going to any Superbowl in his career at this point he has lost what it takes or let me remind you of every game to start the season, interceptions and fumbles, last season ain’t on Grizz, it’s on Bowles keeping his head out of what the OC is doing., Who called out let’s just run the ball with Atlanta? Bowles. If they had Cousins and he took the reigns, he would have carved that BS right up in the second half. We’ll all see if you don’t have Baker throwing that ball like hell every practice, we may be doomed. But I wouldn’t mind a real 1st round QB so let’s keep the tank running… To the fricking DUMP.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:28 am
Joe’s tripping. The dye is cast on this season. There’s no changing course now, it’s not realistic. We have a bored 74 year old man wanting to be relevant again. Ignore grandpa. He retired, and left us with Bowles for five years. Please, that itch to coach is more likely diaper rash.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:30 am
We should do nothing…. Why ruin a good thing… why win a pointless game at the end of the year and miss out on a better pick… oh that’s right we’ve done that recently. I get that same warm and fuzzy feeling watching this team as I did when Freeman was tossing the rock
November 13th, 2026 at 7:30 am
There was a short time he was an assistant on the field until he got into that hassle on the sidelines at that Saints game.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:35 am
I read Arians won’t settle for anything less than HC. I say do it now! Tell Todd he can stay as DC for the remainder of this year and nexr…and if he says no, oh well, there’s others who would jump at it.
DO IT NOW!!!
November 13th, 2026 at 7:37 am
“Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield look like Marcus Mariota.”
Mariota in 3 Games this season:
33 of 51, 64%, 340 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs
Don’t tease us like that Joe.
“At some point no passing game will catch up to them.”
Just happened this past Sunday
November 13th, 2026 at 7:38 am
So if we do bring in Bruce to run the offense what QB will the Bucs be bringing in to run BA’s scheme?
I believe Bruce likes QBs who can throw a 20 yard pass with regularity…
November 13th, 2026 at 7:39 am
Of course Bowles made the decision to keep the OC. Of course Jason did nothing. Of course the owners want a home playoff game. Of course the fans are going to stay away in droves. I think all that’s been said the last seventy posts or so. Fans being fans.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:40 am
Because we need the highest draft pick to draft the quarterback of the future.
I am STILL a Baker fan but also a long term strategist. It would be a PERFECT scenario to let the rookie quarterback settle into the NFL.
Then let Baker play out however it does.
It’s SYA salvage your ass play from begging Jason Licht
November 13th, 2026 at 7:41 am
Cool. Ariana can take over for Robinson then make him HC next season.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:41 am
BucsFan – yep. That’s exactly what logic tells us. When you are banking on your defense to turn the ball over 4x a game and running for 300 yards for your wins, the odds catch up with you.
Also – egos get in the way with these types of situations. Even tho Arians saddled us with this guy, I don’t think he wants to play second fiddle. And if you’re Todd, what’s the upside to bringing him back? He works a bit of magic on mayfield and the offensive approach to get us an extra win? Great that may save his job for this year but then he has Arians hovering over him and the calls will only grow.
Nope. He’ll ride it out and go down with the ship. Keep his fat stack and get paid to do analysis.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:45 am
If BA took over the offense I’d drive down from VA to watch the game
November 13th, 2026 at 7:45 am
Ariana comes in now, he’ll have time the rest of this season to start implementing and seeing what he has to work with….let’s us know what to do in the draft also. I mean, yeah we’re probably not going to the playoffs, that’s fine. No pressure. But get a system in place to see what you have….then hit the ground firing on all cylinders next season.
November 13th, 2026 at 7:49 am
BA mentioned he wanted to be a HC next season NOT an OC this season halfway through trying to fix a broken overpaid QB.
Next season BA will be 75 years old and has already had open heart surgery.
He would become the OLDEST NFL HC in NFL history.
Sorry folks – No thanks – I don’t want to watch dude keel over midway through a game on our sidelines…
November 13th, 2026 at 7:55 am
See guys this is the problem with retirement, I know, I’ve been there. Golf only gets you so far. Sounds good when you’re working but eventually you need more, you need purpose and not just to improve your golf score. Arians is just looking to make himself relevant again. He did absolutely nothing when he was so called senior advisor to the Bucs. And he insisted we make Todd our head coach and Leftwich OC. I say no to Arians and let this season play out as it will. Hopefully with a new coaching staff in place we’ll be able to draft a QB to set us up post Mayfield.