ALLEN PARK -- The Lions are in the market for a new athletic trainer, and they already have a hire lined up.

Kevin Bastin is stepping away from his role and the NFL as a whole later this month. He had served as the Lions’ head athletic trainer for five seasons, lasting the transition from general manager Martin Mayhew to Bob Quinn and from coach Jim Caldwell to Matt Patricia.

The Lions will be replacing him with Dave Granito, who spent the past three seasons as the director of athletic training for Michigan football.

“For five seasons, Kevin Bastin has been an invaluable asset to the Detroit Lions organization. His more than 30 years of athletic training experience, combined with his unwavering commitment to the health and safety of our players, made him an integral part of our football operation day in and day out," Quinn said in a statement.

"The professionalism with which he led our athletic training staff is a testament to his high character. We fully support Kevin’s decision to pursue opportunities outside of the NFL and thank him for his countless contributions to our team.”

Like many hires in the Quinn-Patricia regime, Granito comes with Patriots ties. He has worked for New England as well as the Giants in the NFL before transitioning to the college game. Now, he’s back in the pro ranks.

Patricia has spoken of his team’s strength and conditioning as a staple of what he’s looking to build in Detroit. When he showed up last spring, he had players run wind sprints following offseason workouts, which they did not do under Caldwell.

The team also practiced in the snow despite playing games indoors, and the Lions were known as one of the few teams to run fast-paced, live practices that attempted to emulate the speed of actual games.

It’s an approach Patricia has adopted from his time in New England, and now, he has a former Patriots trainer to help him further implement it in Detroit.