On Friday it was announced that the Buffalo Bills had signed one of the best wrestlers in the world, Gable Steveson, to a three-year standard rookie deal. Steveson had never played football during his athletic career, but Buffalo believes at 6-foot-1 and 275 pounds that he can impact their defensive line. It is acknowledged that Steveson is more of a raw prospect and a project, so he will likely be a practice squad mainstay as he develops during this upcoming offseason.
Gable Steveson is one of the most decorated amateur wrestlers in recent history. While attending the University of Minnesota, he would become a two-time NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion, three-time All-American, and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner (awarded to the best collegiate wrestler in the country). Steveson would also claim the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics and three age-group world championships.
Steveson had previously been signed to the WWE in 2021, with them looking for Steveson to follow in the footsteps of wrestlers such as Kurt Angle, who had claimed gold in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and was the first gold medalist in professional wrestling history, and Brock Lesnar, the only man ever to have won heavyweight championships in WWE, New Japan Pro Wrestling, UFC, and the NCAA. WWE believed he had the pedigree and the upside to become a star in the ring. However, it didn’t work out for him for one reason or another, with him being released from his contract earlier this year.
Ready, Willing, and Gable?
The jump from the mat to the ring to the gridiron gives Gable a chance to make history. NFL Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowboys legend “Bullet Bob” Hayes was the only man in history to win an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl championship. Joining a perennial contender with the Buffalo Bills gives him a prime opportunity to claim to be the second, granted that he plays well and the Bills can recover from a rough offseason that saw the loss of star receiver Stefon Diggs.
You would have to believe that an athlete of this caliber should be able to transition from amateur wrestling to professional wrestling to football, even if he hadn’t played it before. Gable Steveson has the strength, motor, and conditioning to do so. However, a previous case to this has proven this type of move to be difficult.
Gable Steveson WrestleMania 38 Highlights
The aforementioned Brock Lesnar left the WWE in 2004 to pursue a career in the NFL. He would sign with the Minnesota Vikings as a defensive tackle like Gable, playing in several preseason games. Lesnar would eventually be released by the Vikings, transitioning back into wrestling in Japan briefly before moving on to the UFC.
Maybe this works out and Gable Steveson becomes the player that Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills think he can become, it would be amazing to see an athlete transition to a brand-new sport and excel. We’ve seen it before, perhaps we will see it again.
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