Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians may not be a "former" head coach much longer.

Arians, 74, who had open-heart surgery in February, told NFL insider Jordan Schultz in an interview on The Schultz Report that he feels rejuvenated and is feeling the "itch" to return to coaching.

“This is the first time I had the itch again. I had no desire to go back. … After open-heart surgery, I have so much more energy."

Arians has had three separate stints as an NFL head coach.

The first was with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. After Chuck Pagano was forced to leave the team for leukemia treatment, Arians was named interim head coach. Arians led the Colts to a 9-3 record and won the AP Coach of the Year award.

He would then be hired as head coach for the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. In five seasons, the Cardinals went 49-30-1 under Arians, who was named Coach of the Year for a second time in 2014. Arians retired from coaching after the 2017 season.

The retirement wouldn’t last long. Arians would become the Bucs head coach in 2019 and led the team to a 31-18 record over three seasons. 

With Arians at the helm, Tampa Bay won Super Bowl LV, the second title in franchise history. 

Beginning in 2022, Arians has served as a senior football consultant for the Bucs. 

After Arians transitioned from head coach to consultant, he was replaced by Todd Bowles, who was Tampa’s defensive coordinator. 

Could Arians wind up returning as Bucs head coach by replacing Bowles? 

Greg Auman notes that Arians would only consider head coaching positions and wouldn’t make a hypothetical return until next season. 

That has to make Bowles a bit uncomfortable. 

Not only does Bowles have to worry about his team’s struggles, but now he has to worry about a beloved coach who won a Super Bowl with the Bucs possibly making a return?

Many started writing Bowles’ epitaph as the Bucs head coach earlier this season. However, the Bucs have gone 3-2 since their 0-4 start and are only a half-game out of first place in the NFC South. 

Still, Bowles’ long-term future with the club is far from safe. The team will likely have to perform much better after the bye week for Bowles to return next season. 

No, Bowles would not graciously step back into his precious defensive coordinator role to accommodate Arians returning as head coach. 

I doubt Arians intended to turn the heat up on Bowles, but that is exactly what will happen after his interview with Schultz. 

Bucs reporter Rick Stroud asked Arians if he would be interested in the team’s head coaching job. 

“If it were open, yes,” was his answer. 

If I were Bowles, I would be very nervous right now.