Tom Brady always had power in Tampa Bay even with Bruce Arians as head coach

Tom Brady shocked NFL fans by returning from a short-lived retirement earlier this offseason. Rumors immediately emerged as to what led him to make such a decision. Was he sick of his family? Did something change with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Did the proposed trade fall through?

Some fans who are into conspiracy theories seemed to get an answer this week when Bruce Arians suddenly stepped down as head coach of the Buccaneers. He is now heading to the front office, leaving Todd Bowles to lead the team in 2022 and beyond.

As expected, talk shows and Twitter blew up with chatter about Brady potentially forcing Arians out to get more power. Skip Bayless was one of the more notable individuals pushing this narrative, saying:

"Bruce Arians kicked upstairs. Tom Brady wins AGAIN."

That is a strong claim and pushes the notion that the quarterback made some sort of behind-the-scenes demand to get rid of Arians. However, the fact that the former head coach is still in the front office pushes back against that idea.

Brady already held a ton of power over the team and it was clear when he retired, only to return and get his old job back. Other examples point towards the idea that he always had power and didn't need Arians gone to keep it up.

The Buccaneers revolve around Tom Brady with or without Bruce Arians

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Los Angeles Rams v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The fact that the Buccaneers signed Antonio Brown is a clear example of the quarterback getting his way. He was a controversial player for years and the fact Arians had a blow-up with Brown that caused the receiver to quit on the spot proves it was a bad fit all along.

But Brady also got Brown to New England for a short period of time and seemed to be the only player who could convince a team to take a chance on the pass-catcher.

Let's also consider the fact that Tampa sat and waited to see what Brady would do even after he retired. The entire franchise could have entered a rebuilding phase if he kept his cleats hung up.

Yet he returned and not after Arians left, but before. The easy answer here comes by simply listening to Arians talk about how he wanted a proper succession plan for the team. He is 69 years old and handed the job to someone who was a top candidate this offseason in Bowles.

If the quarterback really wanted out, he could have demanded a trade. Instead, he returned without any stipulations, at least to public knowledge, and was ready to work with Arians once again.

The man known as the GOAT is going to have plenty of power to do things his way alongside Byron Leftwich in 2022. That was going to be true no matter what, simply given the nature of how NFL teams operate. The idea of Arians limiting a legend seems foolish given how talented the quarterback is, and the fact the team won a Super Bowl in 2020 and then went 13-4 last season.

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