TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a new head coach.
Bruce Arians has decided to retire and is moving into the Buccaneers’ front office. He’s being replaced by defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, whose previous head coaching job was with the New York Jets.
Arians will turn 70 this coming season. He coached the Bucs to the Super Bowl title in the 2020 season and was 31-18 in three seasons with Tampa Bay. He called it the right time for him to make the transition to the front office.
There was no public indication at the NFL’s annual meetings in Florida that such a move was coming.
Arians is 80-48-1 in eight years as a head coach, including his five years with the Cardinals.
In other NFL news:
— The Vikings have agreed to terms on a new contract with cornerback Patrick Peterson. The 31-year-old Peterson had a solid first season with the Vikings in 2021 and was by far their most reliable cornerback in pass coverage. The eight-time Pro Bowl pick played his first 10 years in the NFL with Arizona.
— Malcolm Jenkins is retiring after a 13-year NFL career in which he established himself as one of the league’s best all-around safeties, most durable players and leading voices for social justice. Jenkins helped both the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles win their only Super Bowl and made a major impact off the field as an activist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. The 34-year-old Jenkins was selected by the Saints as a cornerback in the first round of the 2009 draft.
— Quarterback Lamar Jackson says on Twitter that he loves the Ravens amid uncertainty about his contract status beyond this year. Jackson said Wednesday he didn’t know who was putting out a “false narrative” that he was having thoughts about leaving. Jackson’s contract is an issue in Baltimore for a second straight offseason.
— The Jaguars have signed defensive end Arden Key to a one-year contract, giving them an athletic pass rusher to play opposite defensive end Josh Allen and potentially alongside rookie Aiden Hutchinson. Key is coming off his best year, recording 6 1/2 sacks for San Francisco while playing with Pro Bowler Nick Bosa.
