NFL Insider Addresses Rumor Tom Brady Pushed Bruce Arians Into Retirement

Given the timing of events in Tampa Bay, there has been a lot of speculation that Tom Brady persuaded Bruce Arians to retire as a condition for returning to the team.

On Friday, ESPN NFL insider Jeff Darlington addressed that little rumor. Darlington said that the opposite of that rumor is true and that Brady’s decision to return made Arians’ decision to retire easier.

“[Arians] said that ‘Tom coming back made this decision easier…’ Tom coming back means that now this team is better off for his successor in Todd Bowles.”

Effectively, Arians wanted to leave the team in the best position for his successor, Todd Bowles, to succeed immediately. When Brady returned, it was the sign he needed that he could retire and leave the team in Bowles’ capable hands.

The notion that Tom Brady pushed out Bruce Arians felt far fetched from the get-go. There have been no signs over the past two years that Brady and Arians have had anything other than a good relationship.

Then again, there wasn’t much to indicate that Brady and Bill Belichick were on the outs before Brady left the Patriots.

Maybe there was more going on behind the scenes than what we know about. But it doesn’t appear that any sort of issue with Brady played into Arians’ retirement decision.

Do you think there were issues between Tom Brady and Bruce Arians that we don’t know about?

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