Patriots Rival Signing Ex-WWE Prospect In Out-Of-Nowhere Roster Move

The Buffalo Bills came flying off the top rope Friday with an offseason roster move no one saw coming.

Gable Steveson is signing with the Bills, his agent, Carter Chow, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Steveson, who turned 24 on Friday, is an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most accomplished wrestlers in NCAA history. According to Schefter, Steveson is signing a standard rookie three-year contract with Buffalo and is expected to play defensive line as he begins his NFL journey.

This is something entirely new for Steveson, who recently was released from his contract with WWE. As Schefter explained Friday, Steveson had never worn a pair of football cleats until a recent workout with the Bills.

“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, per Schefter. “I am grateful to Coach (Sean) McDermott, (general manager) Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.”

Steveson signed with WWE in 2021. Although he was raw, representing a long-term project for the company, the sky appeared to be the limit given his obvious athleticism. He even appeared at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022.

But Steveson never developed as anticipated inside the squared circle and he’ll now take his talents to the gridiron, where the Bills could carry him as a member of their practice squad in 2024 if the next few months go well.

Chow told Schefter that Buffalo wasn’t the only NFL team to express interest in Gable, who won gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but the Indiana native ultimately chose the Bills, a team coming off four straight AFC East titles.

Buffalo is favored to take home the divisional crown again this season, with +160 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of Friday afternoon. The development of Steveson likely won’t make or break the Bills’ campaign as they compete with the Miami Dolphins (+185), New York Jets (+210) and New England Patriots (+2400) for AFC East supremacy, but he nevertheless could evolve into a nice chess piece on the defensive side if his skills translate to football.

Steveson is listed at 6-foot-1, 275 pounds.