Olympic gold medallist Gable Steveson, one of the best collegiate wrestlers in NCAA history, is signing with the Buffalo Bills right away, according to his agent Carter Chow.
After agreeing to a conventional three-year rookie contract, Steveson will now try to become the second athlete in history to win both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring, after Bob Hayes. His signing was also announced by the Bills on Friday.
Steveson expressed his excitement at the opportunity, acknowledging that there will be a steep learning curve.
“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 stated. “I am grateful to Coach [Sean] McDermott, [GM] Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.”
Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medallist from the Tokyo Summer Olympics, is signing a free agent contract with the New York Bills. It is anticipated that he will play defensive line.
The 275-pound, 6-foot-1 Steveson is anticipated to play defensive line, a position he has never held in his athletic career. Actually, Steveson’s first-ever cleat-wearing experience occurred at a recent Bills session.
However, McDermott (a former championship high school wrestler) wanted Steveson to play defensive line because he thinks he can be a big contributor. His rawness makes him a potential perfect practice squad candidate in 2024, as the Bills were impressed by his degree of talent but also aware of it.
As Chow of Red Envelope Sports notes, the Bills were not the only team interested in signing Steveson. However, Buffalo has a proven track record of making the most of defensive linemen with statures comparable to Steveson’s.
At the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Steveson earned a gold medal in freestyle wrestling. After going back to the University of Minnesota, he won the 2022 Big Ten Athlete of the Year award. In addition to winning three Big Ten titles and two national titles, Steveson was the two-time winner of the college wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy—the Dan Hodge Trophy.
Prior to his release earlier this month, he was contracted by the professional wrestling organization WWE in 2021.
What’s another tale is how Steveson got into football. Rich Chou and Dave Martin, two well-known MMA managers at the MAG Agency, are close with Chow. Over the years, they have collaborated with numerous Olympic, UFC, and WWE stars, including Steveson. NFL opportunities started to present themselves, and Chow and Steveson were introduced. When they finally did, Steveson chose the Bills.
