Less than eight months after announcing his retirement from the NFL, veteran wide receiver Michael Gallup is looking to make a return, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He had signed to the Raiders before being placed on the reserve/retired list, so his rights were in Las Vegas, but the team made the move to release him from that list today, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. 
The 2018 third-round pick out of Colorado State quickly established himself as a foundational piece in Dallas, finishing his sophomore campaign with 66 catches for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns. Despite the team’s addition of first-round WR CeeDee Lamb in 2020, Gallup still managed to top 800 receiving yards on a depth chart that also featured Amari Cooper. Trouble started for Gallup in 2021, when he missed the first chunk of the season thanks to a calf injury. He was limited to a then-career-low 12.7 yards per reception that season on 35 catches before suffering a torn ACL in the regular season finale.
Not to be deterred by the injuries, the Cowboys handed Gallup a five-year, $62.5MM extension before trading Cooper days later. To Gallup’s credit, he returned for 14 games in 2022, but he clearly wasn’t the same player. While Dak Prescott‘s absence partly played into Gallup’s drop in production, the wide receiver was still limited to only about 30 yards per game. He managed to get into all 17 games in 2023, but his stats continued to drop, with the 28-year-old compiling only 34 catches for 418 yards and two scores.
Dallas gave Gallup permission to seek a trade before ultimately cutting him before a $4MM salary guarantee was due last year. Gallup signed with the Raiders on a one-year, prove-it deal about a month and a half later. There was some hope that the veteran could soak up the snaps vacated by a Hunter Renfrow release and work in the WR3 spot behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, but his retirement put an end to that plan.
Fortunately, Gallup won’t be the only veteran wideout in free agency this offseason. Unfortunately for Gallup, those other likely veteran free agents — Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper — all have a few more accolades in their careers. Still, Gallup feels that he has something left in the tank to provide for a team in need of a depth option at wide receiver.
Am I the only one curious at how Hunter Renfrow went from being a borderline top 20 receiver to quietly out of the league in a span of 3 years?
Nope. Never made sense to me either.
Yeah Hunter been quiet lol
Ask Drew Bennett, Kenny Britt, Mike Wallace and Scotty Miller
Mike Wallace was a legitimate #1 WR for multiple teams and has something like 8,000 career receiving yards. Put some respect on his name.
I thought wagner13 would be curious at to when James Washington is making his comeback…he was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 2018 draft ahead of Gallup.
There was a post the other day on the NFL subreddit that said that Renfrow now works for a recycling plant or something. Apparently he’s not really interested in playing football anymore. Too many concussions.
Man that’s a shame if true. But good for him for making the smart decision to put his current and future health over money.
His retirement never made sense to me. Prior to the ACL, he was considered among the best #2 wideouts in the game.
Glad to see he’s trying for a comeback given that he’s only around 30 and was a very reliable WR in Dallas. He’s still a #3 at worst when healthy, and a lot of teams could use a cheap veteran option with upside like him.