Bills Sign Olympic Wrestling Champion Gable Steveson as Defensive Tackle

Patrick Andres | May 31, 2024

Minnesota's Gable Steveson reacts after his match at 285 pounds in the finals during the sixth session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 19, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen /

Three years after winning an Olympic gold medal, wrestler Gable Steveson is trying his hand at another sport.

Steveson has agreed to a three-year contract with the Buffalo Bills, the team announced Friday. The Bills will give Steveson, who has no American football experience, a try at defensive tackle.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Steveson had never worn cleats before working out for Buffalo.

The 6'1", 265-pound Steveson won gold in the freestyle 125-kilogram weight class at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, besting Georgia's Geno Petriashvili in the final. Before that, he won two national championships at Minnesota.

After his Olympic triumph, Steveson switched to professional wrestling and spent three years with the WWE. The company released him on May 3.

As Schefter pointed out, only one man—Hall of Fame wide receiver and sprinter Bob Hayes—has won both a Super Bowl and an Olympic gold medal.

The Bills are scheduled to open their season on Sept. 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.