Bruce Arians: 'Cleveland is the Only Job I would Consider'

Former NFL head coach Bruce Arians revealed the one job he'd be willing to come out of retirement for on Sunday -- and it may surprise you.

"Cleveland is the only job I would consider," Arians, who was in Cleveland with CBS for the Browns' game against the Kansas City Chiefs, told The Canton Repository on Sunday.

The 66-year-old retired this past offseason after spending nearly three decades working as an NFL coach, which included serving as the Arizona Cardinals' head coach during the past five seasons.

Arians also previously worked as an offensive coordinator and interim head coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, both alongside and in the absence of former head coach Chuck Pagano, who he endorsed as a potential candidate for the Browns' position.

"My guy would be Chuck Pagano," Arians told the newspaper.

Pagano led the Colts to consecutive playoff appearances in 2013-14, but was fired following a 4-12 finish in 2017, as well as missing the playoffs during three straight seasons.

Arians told ESPN on Monday that he is content with retirmenet and it would take a "tough sell" to make him return to coaching, noting that he is enjoying living on a lake in Georgia, playing golf regularly and working as an analyst for CBS.

"I don't know if anything will come of this, but the door is slightly cracked," he said.

Arians got his first oppotunity to work as a head coach as an interim for the Colts in 2012 when Pagano -- who was hired prior to the season -- underwent treatment for leukemia. He led Indianapolis -- who previously had the worst record in the NFL -- to a 9-3 record in 12 games and was the first interim coach to win Coach of the Year.

Arians became the Cardinals' head coach in 2013 and won his second consecutive Coach of the Year award in 2014. Arizona finished with an 11-5 record during his first season and went 13-3 in 2015, which included an NFC Championship Game appearance.

Arians had also previously worked as an offensive coordinator with the Browns from 2001-04 and interviewed for the franchise's head-coaching vacancy in 2013, but Cleveland hired Rob Chudzinski instead.

Arians retired in January, citing his family as the most important factor in his decision.

The Browns fired former head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley last Monday, less than 24 hours after losing their third consecutive game of an eventual four-game losing streak.

Cleveland promoted defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to interim head coach shortly after news broke of Jackson's termination.

"We greatly appreciate Hue's commitment to the Cleveland Browns organization over the last two and a half years," Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. "We understand how critical this time period is in the development of our football team, individually and collectively, and believed it was in the organization's best interest to make the move at this time, in order to maximize our opportunities the rest of this season. We certainly only wish Hue, Michelle, and his family the best moving forward."

Cleveland is currently 2-6-1 in 2018. The Browns went 1-5 during Jackson's first year in 2015 and 0-16 in 2016.

Cleveland has the NFL's lowest winning percentage, offensive efficiency, points per game and total quarterback rating of any team since 2016.

Jackson's career .205 win percentage is the second lowest in NFL history among coaches who have appeared in at least 40 games, according to ESPN.

Jackson had previously coached one season with the Oakland Raiders in 2011 before joining the Browns, which resulted in an 8-8 finish.