2020 Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Champion, Gable Steveson, is taking his talents to the NFL and has signed with the Buffalo Bills. According to ESPN, Steveson will sign a three-year rookie deal and will likely spend his first year on the practice squad as a defensive lineman. Here's what Gable Steveson had to say about the opportunity in Buffalo:

"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."

The Bill's announcement on X:

We’ve signed DT Gable Steveson and released P Matt Haack. #GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/VVhxYEqTGJ

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 31, 2024

How Did Gable Steveson Get To The NFL?

As mentioned above, 24-year-old Gable Steveson was an incredibly accomplished amateur wrestler. While in high school, Steveson was a three-time age-level world champion winning U17 world titles in 2015 and 2016 and a U20 world title in 2017. Steveson then attended the University of Minnesota where he placed third at the NCAA Tournament as a true freshman in 2019 before winning back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022. At the Tokyo Olympics, Steveson had one of the most historic gold medal performances by securing the winning takedown over Georgia's Geno Petriashvili with less than a second left in the match.

Watch highlights of Gable Steveson's win in the 2022 NCAA Finals over Cohlton Schultz:

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After Steveson won his Olympic gold medal, he signed a 3-year contract with the WWE and spent time in their developmental system. He appeared on various shows for the WWE throughout that period but was ultimately released from their roster earlier this month. That led Steveson to explore his next steps which included returning to amateur wrestling, entering mixed martial arts, or trying his hand at football. Bills head coach Sean McDermott, a national prep champion wrestler in high school, was reportedly impressed with Steveson's athletic abilities and the raw talent he possessed with a lack of experience on the gridiron. Steveson will have to overcome a steep learning curve to earn playing time for the Bills. However, Steveson is a world-class athlete, and if he's able to translate his wrestling skills to the defensive line, we could be watching Steveson play on Sundays for years to come.