Bruce Arians on Returning as a Head Coach: 'Cleveland Is the Only Job I'd Consider'

Arians, who retired as the Cardinals' coach in January, said he would only return if the job was with Cleveland.

Bruce Arians, who retired from his head coaching post with the Arizona Cardinals in January has told The Canton Repositorythat only the Cleveland Browns job would entice him to return to the sidelines.

"Cleveland is the only job I would consider," Arians told the newspaper during a break in the CBS booth.

Arians, 66, is currently an analyst for the station and provided commentary during the Chiefs' 37–21 win over the Browns on Sunday.

He previously coached for the Browns as the offensive coordinator from 2001-2004. He was a part of a coaching unit that took Cleveland to the playoffs in 2002, which remains the team's only postseason appearance since the franchise's rebirth in 1999. 

Arians joined the Indianapolis Colts as the team's offensive coordinator in 2012 and took over as interim coach when head coach Chuck Pagano left to undergo treatment for leukemia. Arians went 9–3 and became the first interim coach to win Coach of the Year.

That coaching streak continued when he joined the Cardinals in 2013. After leading Arizona to an 11–5 record in 2014, Arians won his second Coach of the Year award. In 2015, the Cardinals went 13–3 and made an NFC Championship Game appearance. 

When asked who Browns GM John Dorsey should hire to replace Hue Jackson, who Cleveland fired last week, Arians suggested a veteran.

"My guy would be Chuck Pagano," Arians said.

Pagano, 58, was an assistant coach in Cleveland for three seasons before joining the Ravens in 2008 and becoming the Colts head coach in 2012. He was fired by the Colts at the end of the 2017 season after going 2–14.

Greg Williams is currently serving as the Browns' interim head coach. The Browns (2–6–1) sit at the bottom of the AFC North and will host the Falcons on Sunday.