Olympic gold medal and two-time NCAA champion wrestler Gable Steveson is moving to the gridiron. Steveson has signed with the Buffalo Bills and will attempt to make the team as a defensive tackle, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bills confirmed the signing, also noting that punter Matt Haack was released to create a roster spot. Steveson, 23, agreed to a standard three-year rookie contract, his agent told Schefter. The Miami Dolphins were among the NFL teams also interested in Steveson, according to reports.
Most recently, Steveson attempted to catch on with WWE as a professional wrestler, signing with the company in 2021. He had a brief stint in NXT, but was released by WWE in May. Buffalo expressed interest in Steveson after his WWE release and brought him in for a visit two weeks ago, Syracuse.com reported.
Despite his success as a high school and college athlete, Steveson has never played football before. ESPN reports that the first time he put on a pair of cleats was when he worked out for the Bills.
“I have been fortunate to compete at the highest level of competition in my sport, but am looking forward to the challenge of seeing how my wrestling skills may translate to football,” Steveson said to ESPN. “I am grateful to Coach [Sean] McDermott, [general manager] Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.”
McDermott was a star high school wrestler, winning two national prep titles with a record of 61–0.
As a collegian, Steveson competed at 285 pounds but is currently listed at 265 pounds, according to NFL.com. That roughly puts him at the same weight as most edge rushers, not interior defensive linemen.
Steveson won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a super heavyweight (125 kg). At 21 years old, he was the youngest to win Olympic gold at that level. In college at Minnesota, Steveson won three Big Ten championships from 2020-22 and NCAA Division I championships in folkstyle wrestling in 2021 and 2022. He is also a two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top college wrestler.
If Steveson goes on to win a Super Bowl, he’ll join Bob Hayes as the only athlete to earn that honor and an Olympic gold medal.
Source Agencies
