Just when one piece of the Super Bowl-winning team comes back, another is set to leave.

In an absolutely shocking move, Bruce Arians will not coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season and instead move to a front-office role with the club.

The soon-to-be-70-year-old (now former) coach led the team to the Super Bowl LV title following the 2020 season, his first with quarterback Tom Brady, who recently announced that he’s unretiring and will play this upcoming season.

Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will replace Arians as coach, and he was given a brand-new five-year deal to lead the team.

The team went 31-18 under Arians, who owns an 80-48-1 in eight seasons as a head coach including his five in Arizona.

It’s been nearly two months since Antonio Brown’s shirtless tirade and subsequent release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and, clearly, time does not heal all wounds.

The mercurial wide receiver is still seething, as he took to social media Monday to drop another bomb on his former team. This time around, though, he not only trashed the organization, he also dragged Tom Brady through the mud for not throwing him the ball in that infamous game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium.

The totally not crazy WR‘s new accusations include:

Blaming the Bucs for his injury, “They tried to hurt me intentionally. Sent me out there after knowing I was still hurt.”

Saying Brady is a liar, “Tom said he would throw it if I came to play hurt, I came. He didn’t throw it, imagine being hurt, having to play through this and being lied (to) too.”

Continuing to say coach Bruce Arians made him play hurt, “Coach said if I couldn’t run on this, get the f**k out of there.”

He ended his message with these lovely departing words:

Let’s wait and see if another team signs him!

In a lengthy statement released Wednesday night, Antonio Brown accused the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of pressuring him to play through a debilitating ankle injury. Now he’s been released.

Then, shortly after his lawyer released the statement, Brown accused the team of executing an “ongoing cover-up,” saying he was actually cut before leaving the field Sunday against the New York Jets.

The mercurial receiver said that he relented when pressured by a coach to play with an ankle injury and was injected with what he describes as a “powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller.”

When the pain limited his performance, he said he exited the game when he claims he was “ordered” on the sideline by a coach to return to the field.

“I told him, ‘It’s my ankle.’ But he knew that. It was well-documented and we had discussed it,” Brown said. “He then ordered me to get on the field. I said, ‘Coach, I can’t.’ He didn’t call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, ’YOU’RE DONE!’ while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn’t play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs.”

After the game, Bucs coach Bruce Arians said Brown made no mention of an injury before leaving the field, something Brown said Wednesday was “100% inaccurate.” In addition to missing several games with the injury, Brown said that he and Arians exchanged texts that show Arians’ knowledge of the injury—as well as Bucs general manager Jason Licht’s.

“Yes, [I] walked off the field. But there’s a major difference between launching from the line and taking hits, compared to jogging off the field with a rush of emotions going through your mind,” Brown wrote. “I am reflecting on my reaction, but there was a trigger. The trigger was someone telling me that I’m not allowed to feel pain. I acknowledge my past. But my past does not make me a second-class citizen. My past does not forfeit my right to be heard when I am in pain.”

In a different statement, Brown’s lawyer said that the receiver underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed bone and ligament damage that require surgery. He also denied that Brown’s actions had anything to do with a mental health issue.

“I gave the Bucs everything I had on the field. What the organization is doing now needs to get cleaned up,” Brown said. “I do not understand how people publicly claiming to be concerned about my mental health can do these things to me in private.”

Last night, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were shut out 9-0 by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football. It wasn’t just an embarrassing showing for Brady, who committed two turnovers on third-down, but a bad night for the team with injuries. Chris Godwin and Mike Evans were both ruled out by the beginning of the second half.

Injuries to the Bucs’ two best receivers left Brady to rely heavily on tight end Rob Gronkowski, but they were out of sync all night connecting on just two of 11 targets for 29 yards.

“It was big,” coach Bruce Arians said of the injuries. “The young guys, I was hoping they’d step up a little bit more – the receivers. Overall, we just dropped too many balls.”

The team also lost running back Leonard Fournette and linebacker Lavonte David to injuries.

“It hurts more losing all the players we lost,” Arians said. “We lost about seven starters in this game, so I’m more concerned about that right now.”

With three games remaining in the regular season, and if Godwin and Evans aren’t able to return, the team will need some reinforcements. The Bucs will get back veteran receivers Breshad Perriman who had been placed on the reserve/COVID list earlier in the week and Antonio Brown who was serving a three-game suspension for lying to the league about COVID-19 vaccination status.

The team, who going into last night’s game averaged a league-high 31.54 points per game, looks to return to form next Sunday where they’ll look to hold off the Dallas Cowboys for the top seed in the NFC as they take on the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m.

Tom Brady, who is recovering from an offseason knee surgery, is looking great. The 43-year-old quarterback said that the surgery was a success, and he is ready to return for training camp.

Brady is fresh off his record-breaking seventh Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the year. Brady’s first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a massive success as he led the team to their second franchise Super Bowl win.

Following Tampa’s Super Bowl win, Brady announced that he would be undergoing knee surgery to “clean up” a few things. However, it was later reported that the surgery was more than a “cleanup” in his knee. Brady’s exact procedure is not known because he did not tell the media or anybody. It has remained a secret so far.

During the quarterback’s Sunday appearance at coach Bruce Arians‘ Family Foundation gala, it seemed like Brady was doing well and was fully recovered. Brady then told ESPN that the surgery was a success and that he will be ready to play. “I feel pretty good, and I push myself pretty hard,” Brady said. “I don’t know if I could go this week, but we’ll see how things play out.”

The Bucs’ quarterback talked about how the rehab was going well. “None of that is fun, but looking forward to getting back to real training and stuff, which is hopefully here pretty soon,” Brady said. “I’m cool with it. It’s just part of what you deal with. Things come up. You deal with them the best way you can, with the best opportunity to improve. I’m definitely feeling a lot better than I did six or seven weeks ago.”

Tampa Bay is among the many NFL teams that opted out of participating in in-person workouts.

Sunday’s Super Bowl wasn’t only historic for Tom Brady. It was special for another reason, and that was because Tampa’s win meant that Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar became the first female assistant coaches to win a Super Bowl.

Additionally, Locust and Javadifar became the first pair of female assistant coaches to coach in the Super Bowl. Referee Sarah Thomas became the first female referee to officiate in the Super Bowl. Just last year, Katie Sowers became the first female to coach in the Super Bowl, as the San Francisco 49ers fell to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Locust started coaching semi-professional football at the age of 40 and has experience coaching in the AAF before interning for the Baltimore Ravens under defensive line coach Joe Cullen. Last season, Locust was signed by Tampa to become the assistant defensive line coach.

Javadifar was a former college basketball player at Pace Unversity. She has a doctorate in physical therapy, and was signed last offseason to become the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach / physical therapist.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians is known to be a champion of racial and gender diversity. All of Arians’ three coordinators (OC Byron Leftwich, DC Todd Bowles, Keith Armstrong) and assistant head coach Harold Goodwin are black. Arians was happy about the women breaking barriers. “It was time to knock those doors down,” he said.

With NFL training camps scheduled to start later this month, the league has already gotten rid of two preseason games for this season. With the unpredictability of COVID-19, however, and the increased risk football players are at to contract the virus, the NFL Players Association is calling for the elimination of the remaining two preseason games. 

One NFL head coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Bruce Arians, agrees with this sentiment telling the Tampa Bay Times that he would not be shocked if every player contracted the virus at some point during the 2020 season. “We’ve got to be careful. The players, they’re going to all get sick, that’s for sure. It’s just a matter of how sick they get,” he said. 

An NFL Network report detailed that ahead of training camp, the league plans to test all players and staff, as well as their family members and those living with them for COVID-19. 

The 67-year-old Arians has not completed an entire season as a head coach without a visit to the hospital, and is a three-time cancer survivor, putting him at an increased risk of contracting the virus. He also noted on Monday, that given his advanced age and previous health conditions, he has forced himself to rethink how he coaches compared to a regular season. “I got to be real careful. I’ll probably double with a mask and a (face) shield. You know, because l already had my scare out there (in Arizona) once a couple of years ago. For me personally, I’ve got a plan and I just have to be smart enough to stay with it.”

Just over a week since six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a two-year, $50 million deal, general manager Jason Licht says the 42-year-old tried to sell the organization on why he would be a good fit in Tampa Bay.

Licht joined Mike Greenburg on ESPN’s Get Up on Monday discussing his first phone call with Brady on March 18 and how the quarterback began pitching his abilities.

“We had a great conversation — Bruce and I — we talked to him for over an hour and a half. And he made it clear in the conversation that he was very, very interested,” Licht said. “It was almost like a recruitment on his part, telling us why it would make sense for him to come to Tampa Bay. The next call we made, we signed him, but it was at that phone call that we realized, that we felt like we had him.”

There was evidence that the Buccaneers had been planning to attempt signing Brady since February when head coach Bruce Arians answered a question asked by reporters at the NFL Combine about one quarterback he would pick up the phone for. Arians replied with a smile, “Tom Brady.”

Brady joins two Pro-Bowl receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on an offense that should rank among the league’s best next season. Arians and Licht also feel optimistic about Brady’s throwing strength even though he is coming off an average year stat-wise in New England.

“The tape showed to us that he had plenty of arm. In fact, we thought that he had an ideal arm for Bruce in his system,” Licht said. “He can still throw it deep. We felt like the mobility was still the same as he’s always had, which, he’s never been able to outrun anybody. But he certainly is good in the pocket in terms of eluding pressure and with his poise and his instincts. We did not see a decline in his arm talent whatsoever. And, in fact, we feel like he could still play for over two years for us, and hopefully that’s the case.”

Licht later addressed Arians’ comments from last week about the possibility of Antonio Brown joining the Bucs when the coach said, “Yeah, it’s not gonna happen. There’s no room. And probably not enough money. But it’s not gonna happen — it’s not a fit here. … It’s not a fit in our locker room.”

Licht clarified the organization’s stance on Brown. “We feel like there’s a lot of teams that are struggling to find one really good receiver,” he said. “And we have two really outstanding receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Right now, there is only so much money that can go around. There are no plans to sign any other receiver at this time. Antonio is somebody that Bruce has come out and had some words about, and Bruce knows him better than all of us. So right now, I would just say that we’re focused on other areas of our team.”

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

The wait is over. Tom Brady is officially a Tampa Bay Buccaneer after agreeing to a two-year deal worth $50 million. The deal was announced on Brady’s Instagram page Friday morning. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the $50 million is guaranteed and the contract includes $9 million in total incentives and prevents Brady from being tagged or traded.

After spending the last 20 seasons with New England, Brady seems ready to handle his next biggest challenge; bring a Super Bowl title back to Tampa Bay for the first time since 2003.

“Excited, humble and hungry … if there is one thing I have learned about football, it’s that nobody cares what you did last year or the year before that …you earn the trust and respect of those around through your commitment every single day,” Brady said on Instagram. “I’m starting a new football journey and thankful for the Buccaneers for giving me an opportunity to do what I love to do. I have always believed that well done is better than well said, so I’m not gonna say much more — I’m just gonna get to work!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B99KHG5hC_n/

The six-time Super Bowl champion has dominated the AFC East division for two decades and holds the record for most all-time regular season wins as a quarterback (219) and most postseason victories (30), according to CNN. Tampa Bay just became an instant contender with this signing.

“Tom is a proven champion who has achieved greatness on the field because he demands the best out of himself and his teammates,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht in a statement. “I’ve known Tom since we drafted him in New England 20 years ago and through this process it became very clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has. He possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately impact our entire organization.”

Brady will be coached by 67-year-old Bruce Arians who was hired last offseason. Arians is one of the most respected football minds in the NFL and has had previous success in the postseason with the Arizona Cardinals before retiring from coaching in 2017.

Tom Brady Stats

“Tom is the most successful quarterback in the history of our league, but what makes him so special is his ability to make those around him better,” Arians said in a statement. “I have had the privilege to work with some of the best passers in our game, and the characteristics they all possessed were the ability to lead and get the best out of their teammates. Tom is no different. He is a proven winner who will provide the leadership, accountability and work ethic necessary to lead us to our goal of winning another championship.”

Brady owns the record for most passing touchdowns in the regular season and playoffs combined (614) and is second all-time in passing yards with 74,571.

Tom Brady announced Tuesday that he won’t be re-signing with the Patriots and instead will sign the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after contract stipulations are worked out. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Brady has two “wants” that must be met before the contract is agreed upon. NFL Network reported Tuesday that the deal could be worth $30 million per year “or more.”

“Some of the things Brady wants: Control over roster [and] he wants to be part of making decisions on the play calling,” Russini said this week on ESPN’s Get Up.

Brady seeking control of personnel is outlandish, almost unheard of in modern day football. However, if the deal requires the 42-year-old’s control over roster decisions before signing, the Buccaneers have to pull the trigger. Who knows, he may just re-connect with Antonio Brown. That signing would instantly complete the best receiver trio in the NFL, adding to the phenomenal pair of Bucs’ wideouts, Pro Bowlers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

“I talked to Tampa Bay. They would love to have Tom Brady,” Russini mentioned later. “They are willing to give Tom Brady the things he needs, he wants.”

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

Being involved with the play calling is not far-fetched for a quarterback with a stellar resume like Brady. Aaron Rodgers is notorious for calling his own plays and other former quarterbacks like Peyton Manning have demonstrated the same ability, so it’s not unreasonable for someone like Brady to give his input on an integral part of the game. Brady possesses maybe two years left of above average play, but what remains of his career evidently has to be on his terms. The Bucs are built to win now, especially with a high-caliber offense and a 67-year-old coach Bruce Arians who is hungry for a ring and arguably considered one of the best coaches in the league. This is Brady’s one chance to show how great he is without Bill Belichick’s coaching.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Bruce Arians on Tuesday night. He’s now the third coach this offseason to receive a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth year.

Arians’s Deal Includes A Fifth-Year Option

Unlike Vic Fangio and Kliff Kingsbury, he’s the only hire with previous NFL head coaching experience.

From 2013 to 2017, Arians was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. However, the Cardinals didn’t fire Arians: he retired. When Arians first announced he wanted to return to coaching, the Cardinals argued that they should be compensated. The NFL shot down the claim because the team didn’t exercise Arians’ fifth-year option. However, a late argument by Arizona succeeded and now the Buccaneers will send over a sixth-round pick to the Cards. Arizona, in exchange, will trade them a seventh-round pick and the right to sign Arians.

Arians initially claimed he’d only come out of retirement to coach the Cleveland Browns. Arians is already assembling a staff. Former New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles is tapped to lead the defense. In Tampa Bay, the 66-year-old head coach will be tasked with turning around a 5-11 team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2007. He’ll also be given an incredibly problematic enigma in Jameis Winston.

The Tampa Bay front office is ecstatic over the hiring. “Bruce Arians is one of the NFL’s most well-respected coaches over the past two decades and we are excited to have him leading our team,” Buccaneers owner Bryan Glazer said in a statement. “Throughout this process, we focused on finding the right coach with a proven ability to elevate our players and lead our team forward. Bruce has played a large role in the development and career success of some of our league’s best players and we look forward to seeing him continue that work here with our franchise.”

Larry Fitzgerald will return for a 14th season in the NFL.

Larry Fitzgerald back with cardinals For 2017 Season

The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver told ESPN’s Jim Trotter and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapaport on Wednesday that he will play out the final year of his contract with the team.

Fitzgerald added he’s feeling “back to normal” physically.

“Some things that were killing me late in the year are feeling back to normal for me. That’s a relief. Also, my fire and desire to win and compete vs. the best still burns,” Fitzgerald told Rapoport. He had 107 catches and 1,023 yards in 2016 which lead the league in catches and finished 20th in total yards.

The 10-time Pro Bowler led the league in receptions this season with 107. He also leads active wideouts in career receptions with 1,125.

Fitzgerald, 33, ranks ninth in NFL career receiving yards with 14,389. Another 1,000-yard season would put him third behind Jerry Rice, with 22,895, and Terrell Owens, with 15,934.

Of course, another big question remaining for the Cardinals is whether quarterback Carson Palmer will also return.

“There’s a much more of a physical determination to be made for Carson Palmer,” Rapoport reported on Super Bowl Live on Thursday. “He wants to return and has said if he’s feeling OK physically, that he will be back. But from what understand, this was the most taxing season for him — really in his career. He got beat up, was dealing with several nagging injuries, he just did not feel great. And even, as of recently, was still struggling to feel like him old self.”

Coach Bruce Arians seems more relaxed now that he knows his top receiver will be back next season.

Speaking at the Waste Management Open in Scottsdale, Arizona on Tuesday, Arians sounded positive but added he hadn’t heard anything official regarding Fitzgerald and Palmer.

“It’s up to them,” Arians said. “I feel comfortable with where they are at and what’s going to happen. Like everyone, I have my fingers crossed. I think when the juices start flowing and the injuries go away, they’ll come back. But there is nothing to confirm yet.”

The Cardinals finished the 2016 season 7-8-1 and defeated the Los Angeles Rams 44-6 in their season finale.

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 16: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals stiff arms strong safety Morgan Burnett #42 of the Green Bay Packers during overtime of the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 16, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Green Bay Packers 26-20. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Special teams troubles have beset the Arizona Cardinals all season, and Sunday’s 26-23 road loss to the Miami Dolphins was yet another reminder of that.

Dolphins Fire Back At Bruce Arians After Cardinals Coach Accuses Team Of Cheating

Chandler Catanzaro missed a field goal and an extra point and had another extra point blocked, which Miami quickly returned for a two-point conversion.

On Tuesday, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians raised cheating accusations against the Dolphins’ special teams unit. Arians claimed the Dolphins used an illegal simulated snap count on the Cardinals’ first missed extra point, which caused an early snap.

“We had a situation where somebody yelled out a snap count and we snapped an extra point early and missed the first extra point,” Arians told Sirius XM NFL Radio.

Following that missed kick on Sunday, Arizona’s holder, Drew Butler, was seen pointing toward the line of scrimmage, as Catanzaro looked utterly confused.

On Wednesday, Dolphins special teams coach Darren Rizzi gave the perfect retort to Arians’ allegations:

Rizzi also said the following:

Rizzi was referring to another of Arians’ claims after the game. Arians said the totally biased and rigged weather deteriorated whenever his team had the ball.

“We practiced with a wet ball on Wednesday and didn’t have any problems,” Arians said, according to the Associated Press. “But when it continually pours when you have the ball, which was kind of odd, it’s tough.”

It sounds like the Cardinals– or at least Arians– are simply looking for excuses for their recent lackluster performances when they are the ones who need to improve and be in top condition, not the weather.

The Dolphins (8-5, 2nd in AFC East) next visit the New York Jets on Saturday night, while the Cardinals (5-7-1, 2nd in NFC West) will host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

HOUSTON, TX – AUGUST 28: Head coach Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals reacts in the second quarter of a preseason NFL game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on August 28, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was carried to the hospital with chest pains Sunday night, although the team says test results “have come back favorably.”

Cardinals Coach Bruce Arians Hospitalized With Chest Pains; Tests ‘Favorable’

“After returning home from Minnesota, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was experiencing discomfort and not feeling well during the night. His wife took him to a local hospital to be evaluated,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “All tests conducted so far have come back favorably. He remains in the hospital for continued evaluation.”

Arians was hospitalized earlier this year after battling symptoms associated with Diverticulitis, a condition which affects the digestive tract. The coach was rushed to a San Diego hospital before a preseason game against the Chargers in August with the initial belief that he had a kidney stone.

Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu said he spoke to Arians:

The Cardinals cancelled Arians’ Monday press conference that was scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET.

Arizona lost to the Minnesota Vikings 30-24 in Minneapolis on Sunday.

Arians’ health has been issue throughout his career. He gained 33 pounds during his first season in Arizona, but then lost about 15 in the two months following the season. He began walking before practices during the 2013 season, but hasn’t been spotted doing that at all since then.

He was also previously hospitalized before an Indianapolis Colts wild-card game against the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 due to an ear infection. Before that, Arians underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2007 while with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

During his tenure as head coach of Temple University, Arians was reportedly hospitalized for migraines, sometimes up to twice a week. Arians said that as soon as he was fired from Temple in 1988, the migraines stopped.

The Cardinals (4-5-1), who are second in NFC West, will next visit the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

HOUSTON, TX – AUGUST 28: Head coach Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals reacts in the second quarter of a preseason NFL game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on August 28, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)