Fresh off signing with the Buffalo Bills, Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Gable Steveson talked exclusively with Spectrum News 1 about the decision to play football for the first time.

Steveson was supporting his friend, former Bills and current Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, in Buffalo at Phillips’ Playmakers event on Saturday. 

Steveson, a two-time NCAA champion and 2020 Olympic heavyweight champ, signed with the Bills on Friday. 

While he’s never played football before, he feels many of his skills from wrestling at the highest level will transfer to the defensive line in the NFL. 

Of course, it helps that his new head coach Sean McDermott was a champion wrestler himself. 

"This is a new thing, but I’m a sponge," Steveson said. "I want to learn so much. I want to be a part of this team and I want to have Buffalo become champions and I want to win. That’s all that matters. I want to go out there and put on a good show and make sure people see me as Gable Steveson the football player and just go out there dominate everything I can."

Steveson says he’s already gained about 10 pounds of muscle since his tryout with the Bills a couple weeks ago, and he’s diving into the playbook to pick up the game as fast as he can. 

"Leverage, the footwork that comes with wrestling, the hand fighting, it all relates to be a defensive tackle, so that's where we are going to try to focus on," he said. "I showed up a little light, but I started lifting weights and eating more and everything came about and I put on about 10 more pounds and I feel good. I feel light and I feel healthy."

Steveson becomes the second player without past football experience Buffalo has added to its roster this offseason. Last month, the Bills used their final pick to select former English rugby player Travis Clayton in the seventh round of the draft, who is projected to play offensive line.

He signed an NIL deal with World Wrestling Entertainment before his final college season and later joined the company. He was released in May.

Steveson is from Minnesota, and his mother named him Gable in honor of wrestler Dan Gable, who won gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics.