Gradkowski was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

He played as a member of the Seton-La Salle Rebels from 1997 to 2000 in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL).

This performance was then improved as a senior, when he completed 188-of-327 passes (57.5%) and threw for a then-WPIAL record of 2,978 yards and 30 touchdowns (surpassing the previous mark set by Dan Marino).

In high school, Gradkowski also played basketball, serving as Seton-La Salle's starting point guard and leading his team in scoring.

After redshirting as a freshman at Toledo in 2001, Gradkowski only saw action as the field goal holder on the special teams unit.

Gradkowski was the first quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history to complete more than 70 percent of his passes in consecutive seasons.

When starting quarterback Chris Simms suffered a ruptured spleen, Gradkowski was named the starter going into Week 5 against New Orleans.

Gradkowski remained the starter after his first loss and won the next two games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles before losing three straight to the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

His play would continue to decline with losses against the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears and he was benched in the middle of both games.

[7] In 2007 during a Week 12 matchup against the Washington Redskins, Gradkowski came in after the first play because of an injury to newly acquired starting quarterback Jeff Garcia but only completed 9 of 19 passes and didn't score.

He was the starter for the Browns' 2008 season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 28, 2008, after injuries to Anderson, Brady Quinn, and Ken Dorsey.

[17] In Week 2 of the 2010 NFL season he took over for benched starter Jason Campbell and led the Raiders to a victory over the St. Louis Rams.

After Dalton suffered a minor injury that removed him from the game, Gradkowski threw a touchdown while snapping the ball while the Browns were still in the huddle.

[23] On August 31, 2016, Gradkowski was placed on the injured reserve list following damage to his hamstring sustained during the opening game of the preseason.

[22] In 2017, Gradkowski became a volunteer assistant quarterbacks coach at Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse, Ohio.