"Doesn't pass the smell test" - NFL analyst argues Tom Brady drove Bruce Arians away

Tom Brady is back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Bruce Arians is moving out of the coaching room and into a front office role with the team. While Brady's and Arians’ time together was short, the pair produced one Super Bowl win and two deep playoff runs in just two years.

There’s no doubt that winning heals all wounds (whether or not Brady and Arians might have some beef is unknown). But even the great Tom Brady cannot play forever, as evidenced by his one-month retirement.

Brady might be playing his last NFL season next year. So, it makes some sense that the soon-to-be 45-year-old might make certain demands to ensure he has the best chance of winning the Super Bowl.

NFL analyst John Middlekauff theorized that something peculiar was going on between Brady, the front office, and Arians:

"But let's face it, like it doesn't quite add up. It really doesn't. Because when I was in the car listening, the press conference, someone asked Bruce, they're like, when did you have a change of heart? Because when we were talking to you at the combine, you were so excited. You were, like, reinvigorated. And then a month later, you're just out, it doesn't quite add up. And listen whether Brady forced him out, whether the owner forced him out, like let's face it. We had been talking about Brady not really retiring, even though he was retired, the entire time. But that couple days before he officially unretired, he was in Europe with the Glazer family. So he's in Europe with the Glazer family at Man U. Then he unretires. And then as Bruce Arians said, he told Tom, a couple days later, he's retiring. Like, just put the pieces to the puzzle together. That’s not saying Tom cut his head off. That's not saying that he did some total power play.

"But like, let's just face it. No one retires at this time. And as several people have pointed out, the last guy to retire, walk away, however you want to consider it. At the owners meetings was Jimmie Johnson. Well, why did that happen? He had a falling out with Jerry Jones. He had a falling out. Did he have falling out with Tom Brady? I don't know, they're gonna deny it. They played it perfectly on social media. But it's okay to go: “Yeah, this doesn't pass the smell test.” Because anyone with any working common sense, and a brain goes, you know, this doesn't totally all add up. And listen, some weird stuff happened with Belichick and Brady, the greatest coach, greatest quarterback. Some weird stuff happened in Tampa with Tom and Bruce Arians, obviously, same guy, greatest quarterback and a big-time head coach, you know, sometimes egos age, this is not Bruce Arians, 69 years old dealing with Kyler Murray."

A look at Tom Brady's and Bruce Arians’s tenure together

Although Tom Brady and Bruce Arians only played two seasons together, it’s difficult to paint that partnership as anything short of extreme success. In Brady’s first season with the Buccaneers and Arians, he went 11-5, threw for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and won the Super Bowl. He also disclosed he had been playing on a bad knee in the second half of the season.

In year two, Brady had a better statistical regular season after being able to absorb the team's offense better and build better chemistry with his receivers. In 2021, he went 13-4, threw for 5,316 yards, with 43 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Although they were one game (and one play) away from heading back to the Super Bowl in consecutive years, Brady and the Bucs would bow out against the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Rams.

Tom Brady heads into the 2022 season with a new head coach and possibly new faces on the team. Longtime tight end Rob Gronkowski has not decided whether to retire or return, and running back Ronald Jones II has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Running back Leonard Fournette and wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans will be back. At the very least, Brady does have his most important offensive weapons heading into next season.