Former Bucs HC Bruce Arians PISSED After Team Fired Coaching Staff, Including OC Byron Leftwich

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Former Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians transitioned into an integral part of Tampa's front office after stepping down as HC. One year after his decision, Arians has reportedly grown irate over the team's direction.

Arians Upset With Coaches' Firing

After the Bucs decided to part ways with nine coaches on their staff, including Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, Arians, a senior football consultant for TB, is "extremely unhappy" with the regime's decision.

Leftwich has worked with Arians since 2016, first joining as a coaching intern with Arians' Arizona Cardinals and re-teaming with the HC in Tampa Bay in 2019.

The Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud spoke on 95.3 WDAE this week to give the latest update on the team's direction and spoke on Arians' frustration after a disappointing season.

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“Not happy. Very unhappy. Extremely unhappy,” Stroud shared.

Finishing the year 8-9 and getting hammered in an early playoff exit by the Dallas Cowboys, Todd Bowles' Buccaneers find themselves in an undesirable position: stuck between pursuing status as playoff hopefuls next year by trying to lure 45-year-old quarterback Tom Brady back for another run or going all-in on tanking now that their organization is a shell of itself after their 2021 Super Bowl victory.

(Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Stroud added that Arians' expectations with stepping away from the HC position did not entail leaving his coaching staff at risk of losing their jobs if the team's direction went sideway after just one season.

"Having had some interaction with about it," Stroud said, "he’s disappointed. You know, he’s disappointed. I guess that’s the biggest thing. You know, he wanted Todd to have this opportunity. He wanted to keep this staff together. He wanted these families to be together."

(Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"Many of them have another year on their contracts. Many of them thought they would be here as long as Todd is the head coach, were told as much, and that’s not the case. And so he’s hurt by it. I don’t know if you’re going to see him around much next year."

Time To Hit The Reset?

Leftwich's playcalling became a glaring issue during Tampa Bay's 31-14 loss to the Cowboys in the Super Wild-Card matchup. With the team finding no success on the ground and heaping the offensive burden on Brady with 66 pass attempts, Leftwich's job appeared well in peril.

Now that Brady is reported to be interested in joining a new team, should he return in 2023, it may be time to hit the reboot button in Tampa.