Buffalo Bills sign Olympic champion wrestler Gable Steveson – NBC New York

The Buffalo Bills have added an Olympic gold medalist to their roster.

Olympic champion wrestler Gable Steveson signed with Buffalo as an undrafted free agent Friday, the team announced. The Bills said Steveson, who is 5-foot-11 and 266 pounds, will play defensive tackle.

How big a jump does Steveson, 24, make as he goes from the wrestling mat to the gridiron? Well, ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who was first to report the news, said Steveson’s recent practice with Buffalo was the first time he wore a pair of cleats.

“I’ve been fortunate to compete at the highest level of competition in my sport, but I’m looking forward to the challenge of seeing how my wrestling skills can translate to football,” Steveson told ESPN. “I’m grateful to Coach (Sean) McDermott, (general manager) Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.”

Steveson’s agent told Schefter that the Bills were not the only team to express interest in signing the heavyweight wrestler. He will now play for a head coach in McDermott, who was a two-time national champion in high school wrestling and grew up in Pennsylvania.

Steveson made history at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by becoming the youngest freestyle wrestler to win gold in the super heavyweight division at just 21 years, two months and six days old. He defeated Georgian Geno Petriashvili in the gold medal match.

After winning an Olympic title, Steveson returned to the University of Minnesota and capped a dominant college career. The Apple Valley, Minn., native won two NCAA championships and three Big Ten titles while posting the best winning percentage in program history at .977 (85-2 record) over four seasons. He was also the first ever heavyweight wrestler to twice win the Hodge Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best wrestler.

Steveson signed with WWE in 2021 and he was primarily a part of its developmental brand, NXT, before coming out in May.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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