The Detroit Lions aren’t just protecting their coaching staff, they’re also leaning into a familiar rivalry.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Miami Dolphins, now led by former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, requested permission to interview Lions offensive assistant Bruce Gradkowski for their quarterbacks coach position. Dan Campbell reportedly blocked the request, making it clear that Gradkowski isn’t going anywhere.

Given Hafley’s Packers ties, the move feels especially fitting.

Dan Campbell and the Lions have spent years battling Green Bay for control of the NFC North, and now that a former Packers coordinator is running Miami, Detroit had little incentive to do any favors. Blocking the request not only keeps a valued coach in-house, it also denies help to a former rival.

Gradkowski has been with the Lions since 2025 and is viewed internally as a rising offensive mind. Before arriving in Detroit, he served as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the UFL, helping build an offense that put him firmly on the NFL coaching radar.

As a player, Gradkowski starred at Toledo before being selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He went on to play for the St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers, carving out a long professional career. His younger brother, Gino Gradkowski, is also a former NFL player.

Detroit’s decision sends a clear message: Bruce Gradkowski is part of the Lions’ present — and future — and Dan Campbell isn’t about to help a former Packers coach rebuild elsewhere.

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