Gable Steveson, Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler, signs with Buffalo Bills

Olympic gold medal winner Gable Steveson is officially entering the NFL. The Buffalo Bills signed the former Minnesota wrestler this week, according to his agent Carter Chow. Steveson teased a potential deal with the Bills when he took a visit to meet with the team earlier this month.

Steveson posted to his Instagram story that he was in Buffalo inside the Bills’ stadium as he shared a photo of the field two weeks ago. Following his release from the WWE, Steveson reportedly had options to return to Minnesota for one more wrestling season, go into MMA or even try out for the NFL.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott has a wrestling background. During his time at La Salle College High School just outside Philadelphia, McDermott racked up back-to-back national prep titles with a record of 61-0 while surrendering just one takedown.

Steveson joining Buffalo Bills ahead of minicamp

Steveson initially retired from wrestling after the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships, after he won his second national title. The initial tease of a collegiate return came amid his victory at Final X where he earned the United State World Team spot at 125 KG. 

At the college level, Steveson finished with 86-2 over the course of four seasons at Minnesota. The 2020 campaign ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and he finished third at the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

“The itch and fire will never go away,” Steveson said last June regarding wrestling. “And I feel like if you ask any competitor, old or young, I think it’s always there.

“But some people just don’t have the bodies to do it because they’re a little older. But I think me just turning 23, I still had that extra fire and I want to see what I could do. I wanted to test my limits. And so I stayed ready just in case the time came where I could come back.”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.