Olympic gold medalist reportedly drawing NFL interest after WWE release
Aug 6, 2021; Chiba, Japan; Gable Dan Steveson (USA) celebrates after defeating Geno Petriashvili (GEO) in the men’s freestyle 125kg final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Makuhari Messe Hall A. Mandatory Credit: Mandi Wright-USA TODAY Sports
Gable Steveson is weighing his career options after he was released by WWE this week, and some NFL teams may be willing to give him a look.
Steveson’s manager, Dave Martin, confirmed on Wednesday that the 23-year-old has been released by WWE. Steveson had signed with WWE weeks after he won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Martin issued a statement on Wednesday to reporter Ariel Helwani. The manager said Steveson is “ready to resume competing against elite-level competition and looks forward to sharing big news with you all very soon.” Martin also said the 6-foot-1, 265-pound Steveson has received interest from NFL teams.
“Multiple NFL teams have reached out to Gable Stevenson. … I’m aware of two teams that are interested in inviting him to minicamp. We’ll see how that story unfolds,” Helwani said.
Ariel 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
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 8, 2024
Steveson was a star wrestler at the University of Minnesota, where he won gold medals in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in 2021 and 2022. He also won three gold medals in Big Ten Championships. He has a year of college eligibility remaining.
Brock Lesnar also wrestled at Minnesota and tried to make it as an NFL player, but that did not work out. He had far more success in WWE and the UFC.
Steveson certainly has the size to make an impact on the football field, but that transition would not be an easy one.
