Bruce Arians' surprising resignation as Bucs head coach had many wondering if friction with Tom Brady was behind the decision

Amid rumblings of a rift between Tom Brady and Bruce Arians, some wondered if Brady returned to the Bucs and pushed Arians out as head coach.

• The NFL world is speculating that tension with Tom Brady prompted Bruce Arians to step down as head coach.
• There were rumors of a rift between Brady and Arians, though Arians has repeatedly denied it.
• Brady reportedly learned of Arians' plans upon returning to the Bucs, but other Bucs coaches only learned this week.

Bruce Arians' decision to step down as Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and move into the front office has prompted speculation about Tom Brady's role in the move.

There had been whisperings of a potential rift between Brady and Arians this off-season.

ESPN's Seth Wickersham had written that Brady didn't feel the Buccaneers were "buttoned-up" enough heading into the playoffs and the quarterback was frustrated with some mistakes made in their divisional round loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Colin Cowherd said on his podcast that things between Arians and Brady were "turbulent," as Arians was not as much of a planner as Brady likes.

Brady's decision to retire so quickly after the season ended, then un-retire just about a month later, with no specific reason for the change of heart given, also stands out.

While Brady was retired, Arians shot down any notion that the Buccaneers would let Brady out of his contract to play for another team, calling it "bad business."

ESPN's Jenna Laine reported on Thursday that Brady learned of Arians' plan to step down as head coach shortly after he announced his decision to return to the Bucs.

However, according to Laine, Todd Bowles, the Bucs new head coach, only learned of Arians' decision on Monday.

Laine reported that Bucs staffers were "shocked" to learn of Arians' decision.

As The Boston Globe's Ben Volin noted, the timeline of events is eyebrow-raising. On March 12, a still-retired Brady visited Manchester United, the English Premier League soccer team owned by the Glazer family, who also own the Buccaneers.

The next day, Brady announced his return to the team, and soon thereafter, learned of Arians' decision to step down.

"It seems pretty clear to me that Brady either explicitly told the Glazers that he couldn't play for Arians anymore, or the Glazers took the hint," Volin wrote.

At the owners' meetings, Arians had denied any tension with Brady, saying he didn't know where the rumors came from. And at a press conference in Tampa Bay Thursday, Arians again brushed off the media speculation surrounding his relationship with Brady. "People gotta write shit," Arians said. "It couldn't be further from the truth."

In a statement on Wednesday, Arians wrote that he had been working on a "succession plan" and wanted to put Bowles in a position to succeed. Arians had assembled a diverse coaching staff and wanted to help diversity in the NFL.

According to Ric Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times, the Bucs have denied that Brady had any involvement in Arians' decision to move to the front office.

Brady posted a tribute to Arians on Instagram, calling Arians a "huge part" of his decision to join the Bucs as a free agent in 2020.

"We all benefited from your leadership and guidance and I'm so proud of everything we accomplished," Brady wrote.

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady)