Arians upset with 'far-fetched' rumor of tension with Brady

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians tore apart a rumor Saturday about his relationship with Tom Brady souring before the quarterback retired.

"It seems like there's one (story) every day now. Everybody is speculating he's going somewhere else," Arians told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "That don't bother me. This other bullshit, the relationship thing, that's so far-fetched."

Former NFL offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger tweeted Friday that tension between Arians, Brady, and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich contributed to the signal-caller walking away.

Ohrnberger, who played with Brady on the New England Patriots from 2009-11, now hosts a radio show in San Diego. He tweeted that Arians routinely used a red pen to cross out parts of game plans that Brady and Leftwich came up with when the coach joined the duo while he received treatment for his Achilles in the mornings.

"I mean, that's such bullshit," Arians said. "That's what pisses me off. I guess probably Byron could corroborate this, too."

Arians added that he was advised not to address any of the recent Brady speculation. However, the latest rumor made him too angry to stay silent.

"First of all, I don't rehab my Achilles in the morning," he said. "I will go over the game plans and add things, but I don't delete anything. I don't have to because they do such a good job. I'll see some things. Add some things. It's an awesome collaboration, one of the best I've ever been around."

Arians also laughed off the "red pen" part of the rumor.

"I never heard of that one," he said. "That was the best one ever. That's pretty graphic to not know what the f--- you're talking about."

Arians and Brady spent two seasons together. They won Super Bowl LV in 2021 before falling short in the divisional round in 2022.

Brady, 44, led the NFL in passing yards in his final campaign. The seven-time Super Bowl champion attributed his retirement to family commitments.