Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians is making an effort to diversify his staff and give women more opportunity to coach at the highest level.
After a panel at the Women’s Careers in Football Forum last week in Indianapolis, Arians told Melissa Jacobs of thefootballgirl.com that he is hoping to create a full-time coaching position on his Tampa Bay staff specifically for a woman.
Arians explained he believes the coaching pool is deep enough but said there needs to be strong internal support from the league.
"You have to have the right support from ownership,” he said.
While Arians doesn't have an exact timetable for the position, he indicated that this season could be a possibility and interested women should send their resumes to the Buccaneers.
Arians explained he was inspired by questions 49ers offensive assistant Katie Sowers, who is entering her third season as a full-time coach on Kyle Shanahan’s staff, asked during the forum: "Why is she the only full-time coach? Why can’t these internships convert into permanent work?”
Arians, 66, has a history of diversifying his staff as he previously, during his time with the Cardinals, hired Jen Welter as an assistant coach in 2015. She joined the organization through an internship, but didn't become a full-time coach. She now serves as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Legends in the Alliance of American Football.