The Detroit Lions have added former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to their 2025 coaching staff.
Gradkowski had an 11-year career in the NFL, playing for multiple teams after being drafted as a sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006. Throughout his career, he started 20 games, completing 375 of 709 passes for 4,057 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions.
In the last two seasons, Gradkowski served as the offensive coordinator for the XFL’s/UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks. In 2023, the Battlehawks ranked second in the XFL in scoring, averaging 24.9 points per game.
After switching to the UFL in 2024, they maintained their second-place spot in offensive scoring, averaging 26.0 points per game, just behind the eventual champions, the Birmingham Stallions (26.5 PPG).
It’s uncertain what specific role Gradkowski will take on the Lions staff, whether it will be a general offensive assistant or a positional coach.
Notably, the Lions’ assistant quarterbacks coach position is open, following J.T. Barrett’s departure to the Chicago Bears as their quarterbacks coach after former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left.
There doesn’t seem to be a direct link between Gradkowski and the Lions’ current coaching staff, although the former NFL quarterback was with the St. Louis Rams during the 2008 training camp when Lions general manager Brad Holmes was still a scout for the Rams.
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