Arizona Cardinals former coach quit on the organization

It appears as if Bruce Arians may have used a false retirement as a way of getting out of his contract with the Arizona Cardinals

As painful as it is to say, it appears as if Bruce Arians may have gotten one over on the Arizona Cardinals. Just over a year ago, the club’s head coach announced that he was retiring from the NFL. Arians cited health concerns and a desire to be around his family more as reasons for his departure.

Now, 12 months later, it seems that Arians is feeling a whole lot better. The 66-year old may have also learned that the quality time he wanted to spend with loved ones is a bit overrated. Could it be that it was all just a hoax, that Arians used the “retirement” as a way to break free from a floundering Cardinals squad?

Unfortunately, it’s sure beginning to look like there could be some truth to that statement. It’s being reported that Arians met with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with hopes of replacing the fired Dirk Koetter. Should Arizona, who just happens to be looking for a head coach of their own, be upset by that news?

Something doesn’t smell right about the situation. It’s quite possible that Arians decided to bolt from the Cards last year after realizing that the team was trending downward. It was going to be easier for Arians to simply detach himself from the impending mess, and resurface in 2019 with a different franchise.

You can be sure that Arians was well aware of how difficult it was going to be in the desert without the retiring Carson Palmer around. Star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was also thinking about hanging up the cleats. Maybe Arians knew that returning to the playoffs, after two years away from the postseason, was going to be a tough chore in 2018.

If Arians coaches again in ’19, shouldn’t it be with the Cardinals? It would be interesting to see what the “Quarterback Whisperer” could do with Josh Rosen running his offense. When Arians decided to step down, Arizona had zero passers under contract, a dilemma that may have also factored into his decision to walk away.

The fact that Arians is looking to coach a squad other than the Cards is a bit annoying. It doesn’t say much for the man’s character if his “retirement” was nothing but a charade. At this point, would it be surprising to learn that Arians was planning on returning to the league all along?