Bills sign Olympic gold medalist wrestler, former WWE superstar

The Buffalo Bills have signed Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson following his release from the WWE.

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. 220319 Ncaa Session 6 Wr 021 Jpg / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen /

The Buffalo Bills have signed Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 24-year-old was spotted at One Bills Drive on a free agent visit earlier this month.

Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most dominant college wrestlers in NCAA history, is signing with the Bills, per his agent Carter Chow.

Steveson now will try to join Bob Hayes as the only athlete to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal. pic.twitter.com/TfJn4Cd7B1

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 31, 2024

The contract is that of a standard undrafted rookie, per Schefter, and runs for three years. He'll play defensive tackle for the team.

Steveson has no documented football experience, but he is an elite athlete; the 6-foot-1, 265-pound Indiana native won an Olympic gold medal in men’s freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Tokyo Games (which took place in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic).

One of the most decorated and dominant collegiate wrestlers of all time, Steveson finished his four-year stint at the University of Minnesota with an 85-2 record, going undefeated throughout his final three wrestling seasons. He finished first in his weight class at the NCAA Division 1 Wrestling National Championships in his junior and senior years.

Steveson was pursued by several organizations in various fields following the conclusion of his collegiate career, with the Bills reportedly reaching out to him in 2021. He signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) that summer, performing in their developmental NXT territory for a few years before being quietly released earlier this year.

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Buffalo's signing of Steveson makes sense given head coach Sean McDermott's long-documented passion for amateur wrestling; a back-to-back national prep wrestling champion in high school, the sideline boss has oft-spoken about his adoration of the sport and the qualities it breeds in its competitors, demonstrably having a penchant for targeting players with amateur wrestling experience.

Steveson was arrested in 2019 for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman. He never faced criminal charges due to “inadequate evidence,” per the AP.

Steveson is an extreme long-shot to make Buffalo’s roster given his lack of football experience. Buffalo is banking on his traits, strength, and athleticism; whether he can translate these attributes to the football field remains to be seen.