Former Cowboys WR Michael Gallup Surprisingly Retires From NFL at Age 28

Tom Dierberger | Jul 30, 2024

Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup warms up before a game against the 49ers at Levi's Stadium. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Gallup is retiring from the NFL after six seasons.

Gallup, who starred at Colorado State and played six years for the Dallas Cowboys, was placed on the retired/reserve list by the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday. ESPN's Ed Werder reported Friday that Gallup's decision was a surprise to the Raiders' front office.

Source says Michael Gallup informing Raiders he decided to retire from the NFL was unexpected.

Gallup, a former third-round pick of the Cowboys who became a 1,000-yard receiver before tearing his ACL, explained “his heart was not 100 percent into it.”

— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) July 24, 2024

Gallup signed a one-year deal worth $3 million with the Raiders this offseason. He attended organized team activities and minicamp but announced his retirement one day before Las Vegas was scheduled to report to training camp. Gallup was expected to compete for the Raiders' No. 3 receiver job behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers.

The 28-year-old caught 33 passes for 507 yards as a rookie in 2018 before starring in the Cowboys' season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs, grabbing six passes for 119 yards. He was the Cowboys' second-leading receiver in '19 behind Amari Cooper, catching 66 passes for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns.

Gallup tore his ACL in January 2022 and never quite recovered from the injury. He appeared in all 17 games for the Cowboys last season but caught just 34 passes for 418 yards, which ranked fourth on the team.

The Cowboys cut Gallup in March to free up cap space, and he signed with the Raiders a few weeks later.