Bruce Arians says he's not retiring, will return as Cardinals coach in 2017

Arians, 64, has had two health scares this year

An opportunity to coach David Johnson, Tyrann Mathieu, and Patrick Peterson will not materialize this offseason. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, 64, is not contemplating retirement despite a disappointing season that's included two health scares.

He said so on Tuesday.

"I'll be back," he said, per ESPN.com. "I ain't going nowhere."

The Cardinals entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations after falling a game short a year ago. But they're 5-8-1 with two games to go. Furthermore, Arians -- a cancer survivor -- was hospitalized in the preseason due to stomach pains and in November for chest pains.

Earlier this month, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported that members of the coaching community expected Arians to weigh retirement in the offseason. But, based on Arians' comments, that apparently won't happen.

Since Arians took over in Arizona, he's seen plenty of success. This year will be the first time that Arians has failed to lead the Cardinals to a double-digit win total. In his first three seasons, Arians went 34-14 with two playoff appearances. And, don't forget about the 2012 season when he posted a 9-3 record as the interim coach of the Colts, which landed him Coach of the Year honors. He won again in 2014.

But Arians will have plenty of issues to resolve moving forward. For one, he needs to find a way to halt Carson Palmer's regression or find a new quarterback altogether. He'll also need to address the Cardinals' special teams woes, as their kicking game has repeatedly let them down. And lastly, he should try to make sure Larry Fitzgerald returns to the team.

Unlike Arians, Fitzgerald left his future up in the air, leaving the option of retiring on the table.

"I wouldn't say that I'm contemplating it right now," Fitzgerald said this week. "But I'm uncertain of what I am going to do moving forward. I still love the game, I love the competition, I love being around the guys and competing for a championship. That's a lot of fun for me. That's kind of where I am at right now. I'm really just focused on these last two games."