Wrestling gold medalist Gable Dan Steveson will play in the NFL. GETTY IMAGES

Gable Steveson, super-heavyweight freestyle wrestling champion at the Tokyo Olympics, has signed a free agent contract with the USA’s National Football League team Buffalo Bills, the club announced on Friday. The 5-foot-11, 266-pound Olympian has reportedly not previously played football in his athletic career. 

Steveson, who just turned 24, will be a defensive tackle and wear jersey number 61 for the Bills, who have qualified for the NFL playoffs for the past five seasons but haven't reached the Super Bowl since 1993. According to Chow of Red Envelope Sports, the Bills are not the only team who expressed interest in signing the Olympic gold medallist.

Steveson defeated Georgia's then-world champion Geno Petriashvili 10-8 in the 125kg final in 2021 at Tokyo, the American becoming the youngest freestyle Olympic champion in the weight class at age 21.



He spent the past three years with professional wrestling's WWE, where his older brother Bobby performs, before being released in early May.

Steveson was a two-time US college champion wrestler for the University of Minnesota in 2021 and 2022, winning the Hodge Trophy those years as the top US college wrestler. He went 48-0 in dual meet competitions and 85-2 overall in his college career.

Steveson was named after iconic US wrestler Dan Gable, the 1972 Munich Olympic 68kg freestyle wrestling champion.