Michael Gallup

Commanders Sign WR Michael Gallup

March 20th, 2025 at 12:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:25pm: Unsurprisingly for a player making an NFL comeback, Gallup will sign with the Commanders on a one-year veteran minimum contract worth up to $1.335MM, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. With six accrued seasons, his base salary will be $1.17MM, indicating that the deal includes $165k in incentives, though full contract details have not yet been reported.

12:38pm: Add another ex-Cowboy to Dan Quinn‘s Commanders roster. After making a visit to Washington early in free agency, Michael Gallup signed with the Commanders on Thursday.

Gallup visited the Commanders last week and scheduled a Seahawks meeting as well, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Gallup will make his comeback attempt for a team rostering a few former Cowboys. Noah Brown is among them, as the ex-Dallas wideout re-signed with Washington last week.

The Commanders’ receiver room is becoming crowded. Beyond the two former Cowboy cogs, the team traded for Deebo Samuel and re-signed K.J. Osborn. Third-round pick Luke McCaffrey is going into his second season. Gallup could add an interesting piece to the Commanders’ Terry McLaurin support stable, but he had trended downward before a 2024 retirement.

Signing with the Raiders after becoming a Cowboys cap casualty, Gallup did not end up playing in Las Vegas. He instead stepped away from the game before training camp. While this did give Gallup a year to rest up — well after an ACL tear came to define his career — his recent exit may provide an uphill battle regarding a spot on Washington’s 53-man roster. But Gallup has shown a gear Brown and the other batch of tertiary options in Washington have not.

Gallup posted an 1,107-yard season with the Cowboys, moving into four-digit territory (his only such season) in 2019. This came before the Cowboys drafted CeeDee Lamb. Still, Lamb’s arrival did not diminish Gallup’s role too much. Despite Dak Prescott going down early in the 2020 season, Gallup totaled 59 receptions for 843 yards and five touchdowns. These two seasons enticed Dallas to re-sign Gallup on a five-year, $57.25MM deal in 2022. Dallas re-signed Gallup rather than keep Amari Cooper for a third season; that became the wrong decision, as the former third-round pick could not live up to his midlevel WR deal.

A December 2021 ACL tear sidetracked Gallup, who missed eight games that year due to multiple injuries. Although Gallup returned in Week 4 of the 2022 season, he has not flashed the same form since the setback. After catching 39 passes for 424 yards and four TDs in 2022, the 6-foot-1 wideout totaled just 418 yards and two scores in 2023. This prompted the Cowboys to move on, as big-ticket Lamb and Prescott paydays loomed. Gallup will look to recapture some of his pre-injury form, and he is running out of chances.

Samuel will be in position as Washington’s No. 2 receiver next season, leaving McCaffrey, Osborn and the ex-Cowboys to vie for auxiliary roles. Gallup brings success in the past and impressed the Commanders at last week’s visit in order for the NFC runner-up to circle back and greenlight a comeback opportunity.

Commanders To Re-Sign WR Noah Brown

March 13th, 2025 at 12:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Authoring one play that will go down in franchise history, Noah Brown suffered a season-ending injury weeks after his Hail Mary touchdown. But the Commanders want to keep going with the former Cowboys and Texans wide receiver.

Brown is re-signing with Washington on a one-year deal worth up to $4.5MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Brown had overlapped with Dan Quinn in Dallas, before playing two seasons in Houston. Brown is coming off an injury that ended his season in early December. He had previously indicated hope a Commanders re-signing would commence.

Following K.J. Osborn in re-signing with Washington, Brown played a more notable role than the late-season slot addition. Coming over after a late-summer Texans release, Brown caught 35 passes for 453 yards in his Commanders debut. While the Jayden Daniels heave that began a Bears tailspin inflated Brown’s yardage total, the former Texas-stationed WR posted four other games with more than 50 receiving yards. He will be back and set to vie for a job as an auxiliary piece alongside Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel.

A clear-cut backup for his first five NFL seasons, Brown caught on as a reliable target in 2022 and has remained such since. Following the Cowboys’ Amari Cooper trade, Brown stepped into a bigger role and posted 555 receiving yards in 2022. The Texans added him on a one-year deal in 2023, and the 225-pound target helped a team depleted at receiver. Brown’s 567-yard, two-touchdown season aided C.J. Stroud during his Offensive Rookie of the Year season. Brown has since played supporting roles for back-to-back Offensive Rookies of the Year.

Brown’s skillset differs from Osborn’s, as the latter has been primarily a slot player during his career. Both will have a clear chance to supplement the recently formed McLaurin-Samuel duo. Brown is going into his age-29 season. Despite not surpassing 185 yards in a season, he is still going ahead of a ninth NFL campaign. Although Washington added Samuel, the team has otherwise been retention-heavy with its skill-position group. Zach Ertz, John Bates and Jeremy McNichols are back in the fold as well.

The re-signings of Osborn and Brown come after the Commanders met with Michael Gallup, a long-running Brown Cowboys teammate who recently unretired. Gallup visited the Commanders on Tuesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. A 2024 Cowboys release, Gallup (29) retired after joining the Raiders. A 2021 ACL tear altered Gallup’s career, but he still had scored a Cowboys payday weeks later. Not clearing 500 receiving yards in a season since 2020, Gallup appears to be searching for a path back into the league.

WR Michael Gallup Eyeing Comeback From Retirement

March 7th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Ely Allen

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.

WR Michael Gallup Retires

July 23rd, 2024 at 7:28pm CST by Ben Levine

After joining the Raiders earlier this offseason, Michael Gallup is apparently calling it a career. The team announced that they’ve placed the wide receiver on the reserve/retired list.

The 2018 third-round pick 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.

The trouble started in 2021. Gallup 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. The organization clearly wasn’t deterred by the injuries, as the front office 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 30 yards per game. He managed to get into all 17 games this past season but his counting stats continued to drop, with the 28-year-old compiling only 34 catches for 418 yards and two scores.

The Cowboys gave Gallup permission to seek a trade earlier this offseason, but the team ultimately decided to cut him before a $4MM salary guarantee was due. The wideout quickly caught on with the Raiders, inking a one-year deal that could be worth up to $3MM. There was some hope that the veteran could soak up the snaps left by Hunter Renfrow, who was cut in March. Indeed, Ed Werder reports that news of Gallup’s retirement came as a surprise to the Raiders. The organization will now have an open competition for the WR3 spot behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers.

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Gallup, Chargers

July 17th, 2024 at 5:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored to be at an impasse with the Broncos regarding his contract, Courtland Sutton said recently he is not certain he will show for training camp. It should be considered more probable than not the seventh-year wide receiver reports due to the hefty fines (at least $50K per day) that would pile up if he skipped. One sign Sutton is a decent bet to resurface in Denver next week: he attended throwing sessions with Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix recently. An SMU product who grew up near Houston, Sutton was among the pass catchers in attendance at the Stidham-organized workouts, 9News’ Mike Klis notes.

Sutton showing represents a good sign for Denver fans. Though, the 6-foot-4 target missed nearly the entire offseason program — and time to establish a rapport with the first-round QB — before making a minicamp cameo. Sutton, 28, has angled for a raise. He is tied to a four-year, $60MM deal that runs through 2025. Only $2MM of the former Pro Bowler’s $13MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed, though the rest of it will lock in just before Week 1.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

Michael Gallup should be considered a good bet to make the Raiders‘ roster, but the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore classifies the longtime Cowboys starter as likely for a backup role in Las Vegas. Gallup (67 career starts) should be considered the lead WR4 candidate, per Bonsignore, with slot Tre Tucker expected to start alongside Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders guaranteed Gallup just $828K on a one-year, $1.75MM agreement. After being slowed by injuries, Tucker impressed during the Silver and Black’s offseason program. All parties involved have tried to cool Adams trade rumors. Unless the All-Pro target is dealt or an injury occurs, Gallup may well begin his age-28 season as a reserve.
Jackson Powers-Johnson is ticketed to be the Raiders’ starting left guard if healthy, though Cody Whitehair and Andrus Peat represent potentially superior options for 2024. Long term, however, the Oregon center-turned-Raiders guard is poised to take over the LG spot Dylan Parham vacated by moving to RG. Powers-Johnson missed most of the Raiders’ offseason program, putting the reigning Rimington Award winner behind as he transitions to the pros. The second-round pick was out with a shoulder malady, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed (subscription required).
The Broncos‘ impact 2021 draft class featured Patrick Surtain and the recently extended Quinn Meinerz, but GM George Paton‘s first haul also includes outside linebacker starters Baron Browning (Round 3) and Jonathon Cooper (Round 7). Those two being in contract years could open the door for 2024 third-rounder Jonah Elliss down the road, but Klis notes the Utah-developed sack artist’s 2024 role will likely be as the team’s fourth OLB behind the Ohio State alums and Nik Bonitto. Elliss has recovered from the torn labrum that ended his 2023 season and limited him during Denver’s offseason program, Klis adds. The youngest of Luther Elliss‘ NFL-playing sons, Jonah will begin full work soon.
New Chargers DC Jesse Minter moved Derwin James around the formation during the offseason program, making the team’s third safety spot more important. While the recently re-signed Alohi Gilman is entrenched as the starter alongside James, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper notes JT Woods and AJ Finley will continue their competition for the No. 3 safety role in camp. A 2022 third-rounder, Woods had a chance to unseat Gilman last summer but is no longer in the running for a starting role. Woods played just three games last season, with Finley — a 2023 UDFA — suiting up for 12. Summer addition Tony Jefferson, who decided to come out of retirement, also lingers for this part-time role.

Raiders To Sign WR Michael Gallup

April 29th, 2024 at 6:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders will give Michael Gallup a second chance. After the Cowboys cut the veteran wide receiver earlier this year, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports the former 1,000-yard performer has a deal in place with the Raiders.

Gallup is heading to Las Vegas on a one-year deal worth up to $3MM. This certainly represents a steep drop from Gallup’s five-year Cowboys agreement, but the former third-round pick is coming off three straight underwhelming seasons. The Cowboys had given Gallup permission to seek a trade, but the team cut him — as a post-June 1 release — before a $4MM salary guarantee was due.

Las Vegas did not draft a wide receiver, and new GM Tom Telesco signed off on cutting Hunter Renfrow last month. Gallup, 28, will join Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers as veteran Raider wide receivers. This profiles as a bounce-back opportunity for Gallup, who has not displayed the form he once showed before a December 2021 ACL tear.

Although Gallup’s ACL tear did not occur until late in the ’21 season, he battled a calf injury earlier that year. Gallup has not surpassed 500 receiving yards since the 2020 season, going 445-424-418 over the past three years. The Cowboys then bailed on his five-year, $57.5MM deal. Dallas had opted for a cheaper Gallup contract alongside CeeDee Lamb, trading ex-Raider Amari Cooper to the Browns. That move created a void for the Cowboys, who spent 2022 searching for more receiving help. The team has 2023 trade pickup Brandin Cooks installed in that role for the time being.

In Gallup’s last full season before the tear, he totaled 59 receptions for 843 yards and five touchdowns. He bettered that work in 2019, teaming with Cooper — before Lamb’s arrival — in an 1,100-1,100 tandem. Gallup produced 1,107 yards on 66 catches, delivering a career-high six touchdown grabs in his second season. The 6-foot-1 target is now running out of time to return to these heights, and the Raiders’ receiving corps does not point to this deal providing the opportunities necessary to get there.

A regular in trade rumors over the past several months, Adams remains with the team. Telesco confirmed the 31-year-old star was not available at the Combine, and a report earlier this month indicated Mark Davis wants to pair the All-Pro with the team’s next long-term QB. With the Raiders left without a chair during a six-QB first round last week, it is unclear if Adams will be around by the time the Raiders do add that passer. But he remains in place with Gardner Minshew. Despite Meyers having close ties to the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler regime, he remains on a three-year, $33MM deal — one that includes a fully guaranteed base salary in 2024.

Gallup has a path to becoming a third option, as the team is a bit light on depth at this position. Though, the Raiders have slot presence Tre Tucker — another acquisition from the brief McDaniels-Ziegler period — on the roster as well. The team hosted ex-Telesco Chargers wideout Jalen Guyton earlier today. Gallup met with the Ravens and Panthers this offseason but will end up working with OC Luke Getsy in Vegas.

Ravens To Meet With WR Michael Gallup

March 20th, 2024 at 4:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Odell Beckham Jr. has already bid farewell to Baltimore, though he remains unsigned. While the Ravens have their other top receivers from 2023 under contract, they are looking at free agents.

Michael Gallup will pay a visit to Baltimore to meet with Ravens brass Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. A recent Cowboys cap casualty, Gallup has already met with the Panthers.

Spending six seasons with the Cowboys, Gallup was unable to rival the production he showed on his rookie contract. Dallas re-signed the former third-round pick on a five-year, $57.5MM deal in 2022 but saw him fall short of 500 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. Gallup suffered a torn ACL near the end of his contract year, and while he was still able to score a decent payday, the team did not observe him as a reliable CeeDee Lamb complement on that contract.

Gallup, who turned 28 earlier this month, does have an 1,100-yard season on his resume (2019); he followed that up with an 843-yard, five-TD offering in 2020. Gallup missed a chunk of the 2021 season due to a separate injury, returning before ultimately going down with the ACL tear. In 17 games last season, the 6-foot-1 target totaled 418 yards and two TDs.

The Ravens saw Zay Flowers become an instant contributor last year. Beckham contributed 565 yards and three scores — second on the team. While Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor stayed healthy and enjoyed moments, neither surpassed 400 yards. More than two years after his knee injury, Gallup could certainly be viewed as an upgrade as an auxiliary target alongside Flowers. One season remains on Bateman’s rookie contract and the deal Agholor signed last year.

This year’s higher-end receiver UFAs have signed, and Mike Williams committed to the Jets on Tuesday. Some other talented options remain available. Gallup and Beckham join Tyler Boyd, Hunter Renfrow, Michael Thomas, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and DJ Chark as available pass catchers.

Panthers To Host Mike Williams, Michael Gallup; Jets To Meet With Ex-Chargers WR

March 16th, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Last year, the Panthers made a number of big moves in order to acquire receiving weapons for their rookie quarterback, Bryce Young, signing wide receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark and tight end Hayden Hurst before also drafting Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo in the second round.

Carolina continues to strive to build around Young this offseason. After trading for Steelers veteran Diontae Johnson, the team is set to host two more wideouts to add to their corps.

Newly released wide receiver Michael Gallup didn’t have to wait long to hear from interested teams. He’ll head to Carolina this week for a free agent visit, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Cowboys cut ties with Gallup yesterday following his third straight season in which he failed to amass 500 receiving yards. Gallup showed promise over the first three years of his career.

After a rookie season in which he caught 33 balls for 507 yards and two touchdowns, he exploded onto the scene with double the receptions, 1,107 yards, and six touchdowns in a successful sophomore campaign. He followed that up with 843 yards and five touchdowns in the 2020 season before entering his current slump.

Last night, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer informed us that the Panthers would also host former Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams for a visit next Tuesday. Los Angeles released Williams this week in order to clear $20MM of cap space as the team desperately tried to get within salary cap compliance. Williams is coming off a year in which he missed 14 games due to a torn ACL. He’s still 29 years old, though, and is only two years removed from a year in which he had career highs in receptions (76), receiving yards (1,146), and touchdowns (9).

Carolina isn’t the only scheduled visit for Williams. Per Sheena Quick of FOX Sports, the veteran wideout will visit the Jets the day before heading to Carolina.

New York has used the free agency period so far to completely rebuild their offensive line and secure a more reliable backup quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers. Now the team will need to focus on adding to a wide receiving corps that saw only Garrett Wilson surpass running back Breece Hall in receiving yards in 2023. The Jets did reportedly consider trading for Williams’ former teammate, Keenan Allen, but the veteran ultimately found himself in Chicago. Barring any other additions, Williams would be joining Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Xavier Gipson in New York.

In Carolina, Gallup and Williams both represent decent fits for a room with two experienced wideouts already in place. A top-three group of Thielen, Johnson, and Mingo seems like it’d be an adequate corps to roll into the 2024 season with, but adding Gallup or Williams doesn’t necessarily make it a crowded room. Williams is clearly the bigger get of the two and would challenge Thielen or Johnson for a WR1 or WR2 role, but he has plenty of experience sharing the spotlight during his several years with Allen in California. Gallup, too, has worked in crowded rooms before, and would fit more squarely as a WR3 or WR4, allowing Thielen and Johnson to comfortably take the lead.

The Panthers will have a chance to sell a fit to both receivers in the coming week. Despite a league-worst 2-15 record last year, Carolina has made it clear that their strategy from the last offseason hasn’t changed. They intend to build their offense around Young, and they’ll look to bring in Williams or Gallup to assist with that.

Cowboys To Release WR Michael Gallup, LB Leighton Vander Esch

March 15th, 2024 at 2:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Less than a week after giving Michael Gallup permission to seek a trade, the Cowboys are moving on. They plan to release the veteran wide receiver, the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken reports.

Gallup was due a $4MM guarantee on Monday. This will end a six-year partnership, with Dallas initially selecting Gallup in the 2018 third round. The TCU alum was set to enter the third season of a five-year, $57.5MM deal — one the Cowboys authorized in March 2022, as they traded Amari Cooper.

The Cowboys held out hope for a trade, per the Morning News’ Calvin Watkins, but teams effectively knew the team would cut him due to the injury guarantee vesting. The team will use a post-June 1 designation here, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. This move will spread out Gallup’s $13.1MM dead money hit, creating $9.5MM in cap space this year. Gallup, 28, was due $8.5MM in 2024 base salary.

Although Leighton Vander Esch is expected to retire, the Cowboys are also releasing the veteran linebacker. They will do so with a failed physical designation. Neck trouble has plagued the talented linebacker, and it recurred last season.

The turning point in Gallup’s career came in December 2021, when the former 1,100-yard receiver suffered a torn ACL. Gallup reached that four-digit total in 2019, just before CeeDee Lamb‘s arrival, and topped 800 yards with Cooper and Lamb in 2020. The Cowboys kept all three again in 2021, but after the expiration of Gallup’s rookie deal, the team gave Gallup a new deal and sent Cooper to the Browns. Cooper has continued to deliver 1,000-yard seasons in Cleveland, while Dallas has remained on the hunt for a No. 2 wideout. Even before the ACL tear, Gallup had no cleared 450 receiving yards. That trend continued from 2022-23.

After its much-publicized Odell Beckham Jr. crusade did not produce a signing in 2022, Dallas sent fifth- and sixth-round picks to Houston for Brandin Cooks. The oft-traded wideout remains under contract for 2024, with Lamb going into his fifth-year option season. Cooks totaled 657 yards in his Cowboys debut, with Jake Ferguson stepping up as a viable auxiliary target post-Dalton Schultz. Still, the Cowboys should be a candidate to add another Lamb supporting-caster soon.

Cowboys Grant WR Michael Gallup Permission To Seek Trade

March 9th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

With his Cowboys future on shaky ground, Michael Gallup could soon find himself in a new environment . The veteran wideout has been given permission to seek a trade, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Gallup has already been tapped as a release candidate, so it comes as no surprise the Cowboys are prepared to move on from him. However, three years remain on his contract, and an acquiring team would need to absorb it in any potential swap. As Watkins notes, therefore, a tepid trade market exists at the moment.

The Cowboys (or his next team, if traded) would see $4MM of Gallup’s $9.5MM 2024 compensation become guaranteed on March 17. Moving on before that date would be logical, especially if it were to take place via a post-June 1 release. That route would create $9.5MM in cap space, although those extra funds would not be available until June 2.

Should Dallas elect to retain the 28-year-old, the team would likely need to work out a restructure or extension to lower his cap figures. Gallup is set to count $13.85MM against the cap in 2024, with that figure rising to $15.85MM in 2025 and ’26. None of his base salaries are guaranteed in that span, and devoting such a notable amount of cap resources to a depth contributor would be problematic for the team.

Gallup posted an underwhelming 34-418-2 statline in 2023 as his role in the Cowboys’ offense continued to dwindle. CeeDee Lamb confirmed his status as one of the league’s best wideouts, and he will remain the focal point of Dallas’ passing game for years to come provided he secures a mega-extension in the relatively near future. Fellow receivers Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Brooks could take on larger complementary roles in the event Gallup were to be traded or released.

The 2024 free agent class has a few young deep threats in its WR ranks, something which could hinder Gallup’s earning power provided he reaches the open market. If suitors wish to add him without entering a financial bidding war, though, they could move quickly in swinging a trade before free agency begins next week. That would be an unlikely outcome given the cap implications, but the interest Gallup generates over the coming days will be worth monitoring.

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