Gable Steveson, the heavyweight wrestler who just won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, is considering the NFL.
In response to a gambling site that is laying odds on what Steveson will do next, Steveson tweeted that the smart money is on signing with an NFL team.
“I would hope one day I can get a tryout with the NFL,” Steveson said on Pardon My Take, via the Pioneer Press. “There are some teams that have came and have mentioned me to some agents, and stuff that have sparked interest in me. It would be cool to go out there and play football and be in the NFL for a little bit.”
Steveson wrestled at Minnesota, and the school’s football coach, P.J. Fleck, said that if the 6-foot, 260-pound Steveson wants to get some college football experience before trying out for an NFL team, he’d have a spot on the Gophers’ roster as a defensive lineman.
Making it in the NFL would be a long shot for Steveson, but other college wrestlers have done it. Stephen Neal, for instance, spent 10 years as an offensive lineman for the Patriots after not playing college football at all but winning the NCAA wrestling championship. Steveson is smaller than Neal but an even better athlete and may be able to have an NFL career if he’s willing to put in the work.
