In the clearest way possible, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has said he is facing the toughest battle of his life.
During a national television appearance on The Today Show alongside former Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, Arians said he will undergo open-heart surgery on February 6.
“Appearing on Today to promote an upcoming prostate cancer screening Super Bowl commercial with tight end Rob Gronkowski, Arians told Craig Melvin that Arians will undergo open heart surgery on February 6,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on Saturday. “The comment came at the tail end of the interview, with no specifics as to why Arians will have the procedure.”
Arians, 73 years old, led the Buccaneers to the second Super Bowl win in franchise history following the 2020 season. He retired following the 2021 season after 46 years in coaching and has served as a Senior Football Consultant for the Buccaneers since 2022.
“Prayers: Former Buccaneers’ SB champion HC Bruce Arians (said) that he will undergo open heart surgery on February 6th,” JPA Football wrote on its official X account. “Praying for a safe and successful procedure.”
Arians’ ‘No Risk It, No Biscuit’ Breath of Fresh Air
Arians’ riverboat gambler/never scared style of coaching — “No risk it, no biscuit” — made him famous in coaching circles and made him the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl at 68 years old.
Following a record-setting career as quarterback at Virginia Tech, Arians went directly into coaching and was an offensive assistant at Mississippi State and at Alabama under legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant before becoming head coach at Temple, where current Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was one of his starting cornerbacks.
Bowles was also the defensive coordinator for Arians when the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in 2020.
After 6 seasons at Temple, Arians embarked on an NFL career that spanned the next 33 years until his retirement, with the exception of one season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 1997.
Arians won 2 Super Bowls as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers and spent 5 seasons as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2017, where he became the franchise’s career wins leader and led the team to the NFC Championship Game following the 2015 season.
Arians Took Credit for Getting Mayfield to Bucs
During an appearance on “The National Football Show” podcast on April 21, Arians took credit for bringing 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Buccaneers to replace Tom Brady after Brady’s second retirement in February 2023.
In 3 seasons as Tampa Bay’s starter, Mayfield is a 2-time Pro Bowler and has led the Buccaneers to 2 NFC South Division titles. After playing on a 1-year, $3 million contract in 2023, the Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a 3-year, $100 million contract in March 2024.
“Yeah, that was one of my last decisions, you know, to get with Jason (Licht) and let’s go after this; I love this kid,” Arians said. “You know, when I was at CBS (in 2018), I did two (Browns games with Mayfield), went to Browns practice on Friday. That locker room loved that kid. I mean, loved him. And the way he competed in a Friday practice, I was like, ‘This is my kind of guy.’ “
Former Buccaneers Head Coach Delivers Shocking Health News