Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson signs with the Buffalo Bills

Gable Steveson, Olympic gold medalist and one of the most dominant college wrestlers in history, is changing sports. He signed a three-year rookie contract with the Buffalo Bills on Friday.

“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 has never played football before. In fact, the first time he laced up cleats was during a recent practice for the Bills. But McDermott — who has championship wrestling experience in high school — thinks the 6-foot-1, 275-pounder can make an impact on the defensive line.

For comparison, his current size makes him about the same weight as most edge players, but smaller than interior defensive linemen.

However, as a complete football novice, Steveson is realistically competing for a spot on the practice squad in 2024. Should he make the roster, the 24-year-old would look to join Bob Hayes in as the only athlete. never won a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal.

Minnesota’s Gable Steveson at the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

(Joseph Cress/The Des Moines Register via USA TODAY Sports)

Steveson won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as a super heavyweight. At 21, he was the youngest person to win Olympic gold at that level. At the University of Minnesota, Steveson won three Big Ten championships from 2020 to 2022 and the NCAA Division I championships in folk wrestling in 2021 and 2022. He is also a two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy, awarded to the best college wrestler in the country.

Most recently, Steveson attempted to join WWE as a professional wrestler, signing with the company in 2021. He had a brief stint in NXT, but was released by WWE in May.