Gable Steveson moves from wrestling to football by signing with the Buffalo Bills – News-Herald

Gable Dan Steveson poses with his gold medal at the 2021 Summer Olympics. (Aaron Favila – The Associated Press)

By JOHN WAWROW

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson looks to trade the mat for the gridiron by signing a standard undrafted rookie free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills on May 31.

The Bills list Steveson, 24, as a defensive lineman in hopes his leverage skills and agility can translate to the football.

Listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 266 pounds, Steveson, at age 21, became the youngest freestyle wrestler to win gold as a super heavyweight at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He went on to win two national titles colleges at Minnesota in 2021 and ’22, and was twice named the Dan Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s top college wrestler.

After his second college championship, Steveson left his shoes in the center of the mat, symbolizing his retirement from amateur wrestling.

In Buffalo, Steveson joins a team with a head coach in Sean McDermott, who was a two-time national champion in high school wrestling and grew up in Pennsylvania. And although McDermott continued to play football after high school, he credits wrestling with helping shape his life.

“I have been fortunate to compete at the highest level of competition in my sport, but I look forward to the challenge of seeing how my wrestling skills can translate to football,” said Steveson, in a released statement by his agent, Carter Chow. “I am grateful to Coach McDermott, General Manager Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.

Although Steveson’s contract with Buffalo is three years, it is only guaranteed if he makes the team.

The Bills opened up a spot to add Steveson by releasing Matt Haack, one of three punters on the roster. Buffalo re-signed Haack this offseason after adding him to its practice squad in the playoffs as insurance when Sam Martin was hampered by a hamstring injury.

Steveson becomes the second player without football experience that Buffalo has added to its roster this offseason. Last month, the Bills used their final pick to select former England rugby player Travis Clayton in the seventh round of the draft. The 23-year-old Clayton, 6-foot-7 and 303 pounds, is expected to play on the offensive line after spending last winter learning about American football through the NFL’s International Pathway program.

Steveson won gold at the Tokyo Games with a dramatic last-second victory over Geno Petriashvili. He had many options after the victory and chose to return to college for a year and take advantage of the new name, image and likeness rules that allowed college athletes to make money.

He signed an NIL contract with World Wrestling Entertainment before his final college season and later joined the company.

After joining WWE, Steveson briefly returned to amateur wrestling last year. He competed in the US Open and Final X and won both in dominant fashion. This qualified him for the world championships, but he chose not to compete.

Steveson initially joined WWE to great fanfare. It was primarily part of his developmental brand, NXT, before releasing in May.

Steveson is from Minnesota and his mother named him Gable after wrestler Don Gable, who won gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.