Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson Contacted by NFL Teams After WWE Release

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVMay 8, 2024

Jay LaPrete/NCAA Photos/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson has been contacted by “multiple” NFL teams following his release from WWE, according to his manager.

During Wednesday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani read from a statement by Dave Martin, who said his client is garnering some NFL interest:

Jed I. Goodman © @jedigoodmanAriel Helwani reads a statement from Gable Steveson’s manager.

Says multiple NFL teams have reached out to Gable Steveson and that he also has been training at Kill Cliff FC.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/BnDJFk95z0

This isn’t the first time a transition to football has been mentioned for the two-time NCAA national champion. He said in 2021, on the heels of his victory at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, a scout from the Buffalo Bills had reached out to him.

Brock Lesnar famously tried out for the Minnesota Vikings in 2004 on the strength of his work as an amateur wrestler along with his WWE run. He was cut by the team prior to the regular season.

At 6’1″ and 285 pounds, Steveson certainly has the size necessary to size to handle his own on the gridiron. In addition, his impressive athleticism for somebody with his frame was immediately apparent to anybody who watched him on the mat.

Still, Lesnar’s forgettable run with the Vikings was a reminder of the difficulty in making such a drastic career change. We’re only a few months out from the traditional start of NFL training camps as well. That’s not much time for Steveson to start working out and training for the 2024 season.

The Olympic trials for the U.S. wrestling team have come and passed, so the door for Steveson to compete in the 2024 Summer Games is effectively closed. Because of that, the 23-year-old has some flexibility when weighing where to go from here. It’s hard to see the NFL being that next step, though.