Olympic gold medal wrestler Gable Steveson signing with Bills - ESPN

Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most dominant college wrestlers in NCAA history, is jumping to the NFL to sign with the Buffalo Bills, his agent Carter Chow told ESPN.

Steveson is signing the standard rookie three-year deal, and he now will set out to join Bob Hayes as the only athlete ever to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal. The Bills also announced his signing Friday.

Steveson said he knows the learning curve will be steep but is excited for the opportunity.

«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,» Steveson said. «I am grateful to Coach [Sean] McDermott, [GM] Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.»

The 6-foot-1, 275-pound Steveson is expected to play defensive line, something he hasn't done before during his athletic career. In fact, the first time Steveson ever put on a pair of cleats was at a recent workout for the Bills.

But McDermott — who has a championship high school wrestling background — wanted Steveson to play defensive line and believes he has the potential to make an impact. The Bills were impressed with his level of talent but also know how raw he is, which makes him a potential ideal practice squad candidate in 2024.

The Bills were not the only team that expressed interest in signing Steveson, according to Chow of Red Envelope Sports, but Buffalo has an excellent track record of getting the most out of defensive tackles with statures similar to Steveson's.

Steveson won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. He returned to the University of Minnesota and was