The rumors have been swirling for weeks that, when the season ends, so will Cardinals coach Bruce Arians’ coaching career. And while there’s no reason for Arians to disclose his plans publicly before the seasons ends, there currently is no concrete reason to believe that Arians will be retiring.
Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, Arians already is making plans for offseason activities like OTAs, free agency meetings, draft meetings, and Scouting Combine preparation. As the source explained it, everything Arians is saying publicly and privately contradicts the notion that he will retiring.
So why are the rumors persisting? The media has become ultra-competive, and everyone wants to be ahead of everyone else, whenever possible. This causes educated guesses bolstered by sources with agendas pulling strings on folks who want to be able to say, “I had it first.”
In this specific case, wishful thinking from agents who represent coaching candidates could be fueling the dot-connecting on Arians, who has had a couple of health issues this year — and who technically was retired five years ago, before the Colts offered him the position of offensive coordinator. The rumor first emerged several weeks ago, it got no traction, and now it has returned, with a twist: That Arians’ wife is forcing the retirement issue.
I’m not saying he will or won’t. I’m just saying that there’s currently no specific reason to think it will be happening, and that any chatter about it comes from circumstances and not from facts.
But look for this rumor to emerge every year until the currently 64-year-old actually retires. And then someone will claim that he had it right in 2016.