Gable Steveson signing with NFL’s Buffalo Bills after WWE release

Not long after Gable Steveson’s once-hyped WWE career came to an end when he was released from NXT a few weeks ago, we heard that multiple NFL teams were interested in talking to the Olympic gold medalist.

It seems his talks with one team, the Buffalo Bills, went well. It’s being reported today (May 31) by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Steveson is signing with the Bills:

Steveson is signing the standard rookie three-year deal and he now will set out to join Bob Hayes as the only athlete ever to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal.

While he’s one of the most decorated amateur wrestlers in recent history, Steveson has never played organized football. Schefter notes that “the first time Steveson ever put on a pair of cleats was at a recent workout for the Bills.”

Bills head coach Sean McDermott was a successful high school wrestler, which may be why this was the second time his team’s been linked with Steveson since the former University of Minnesota star started exploring professional opportunities after the 2022 Summer Olympics.

It’s expected Steveson will play defensive line for the Bills, and that the goal for this season is to have him on the Buffalo practice squad while they work to turn his raw talents into football skills.

Of the opportunity, the 24 year Steveson told ESPN:

“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. I am grateful to Coach McDermott, [general manager] Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.”

We’ll see if the NFL works out better for Steveson than it did for one of his mentors, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar attended the Minnesota Vikings training camp in 2004, but was unable to secure a spot on their roster and declined an invite to participate in the European developmental league that existed at the time.