Most NFL coaches don’t walk away from the game because they’ve stopped loving it. Sometimes, life simply gives them a reason to step aside. That’s what happened to Bruce Arians, who left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 about a year after leading the team to a Super Bowl championship.

Now, at 74, Arians is talking about coaching again. And the interesting part isn’t just that he wants another shot. It’s what seems to have brought that desire back.

Arians Says the Coaching Itch Has Returned

Arians recently told NFL insider Jordan Schultz that he’d like to return to the sidelines in 2027. His departure from Tampa Bay wasn’t simply a case of deciding he’d had enough. He was dealing with an Achilles injury, back pain, and concerns about an aneurysm. Standing on the sideline for an entire game had become difficult.

He also felt he’d done what he could in Tampa Bay after winning the Super Bowl in February 2021. He handed the job to Todd Bowles and stepped away.

But Arians says he’s now healthy again, and something has changed. He recently spent time around a high school team in Arizona coached by his son. Talking football with the coaches and players apparently brought back feelings he hadn’t experienced in a while. As Arians put it, “another fire got lit.”

That’s an interesting little detail. Sometimes a person doesn’t realize how much they miss something until they’re around it again. For Arians, it seems that being back in a football environment reminded him what he enjoyed about coaching.

Could Tampa Bay Be Part of the Story?

Naturally, Tampa Bay is an obvious possibility. Arians acknowledged that he would consider returning to the Buccaneers if the job became available.

Bowles has faced questions about his future after a difficult start to the 2026 season, but there’s no guarantee Tampa Bay will make a coaching change. And even if it does, there’s no indication the organization would automatically turn to Arians.

Age is another consideration. At 74, he would become the oldest head coach in NFL history if he returned to that role. Still, there’s something appealing about the possibility. Arians has already reached the top of the profession. He doesn’t need another job to prove he can coach.

Maybe he simply misses the daily work, the locker room and the connection with players. That’s a different kind of motivation. And if that fire is really burning again, it will be interesting to see whether an NFL team gives him another chance to follow it.

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