When the Las Vegas Raiders signed wide receiver Michael Gallup this offseason it felt like a worthwhile gamble. The former Dallas Cowboys wideout had a promising start to his career but had struggled since suffering a torn ACL in 2021.
The Raiders bringing him in on a one-year deal was a low-risk proposition that could’ve potentially paid off big if a change of scenery was needed for Gallup to get his career back on track. However, things never really got started, as Gallup would announce his retirement the day before training camp was set to begin.
The news came as a surprise to many, including Raiders general manager Tom Telesco who admitted he did not see the retirement coming, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic:
“I didn’t see that one coming at all,” Telesco said. “That just kind of came up out of the blue. When I talked to him, it seemed like he had a pretty clear vision. He’s ready to move on. It’s too bad.”
From what Telesco said, it sounds like this wasn’t something that just suddenly happened for Gallup but rather something he has been thinking about for at least a little while. The fact that Telesco feels Gallup has some kind of idea of what he wants to do is a good sign that Gallup was simply ready to move on from football.
Though the announcement came as a surprise to the Raiders, that wasn’t the case for Gallup’s former teammate Dak Prescott. The Cowboys quarterback later revealed that Gallup had reached out to him earlier this summer to talk about the possibility of retiring.
Had he remained with the Raiders Gallup had an excellent shot at being the team’s third receiver behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. But the receiver simply doesn’t see football in his future and can now move on to the next phase of his life.
Raiders sign WR Keelan Doss and OL Corey Luciano
With Gallup now retired, the Raiders decided to bring another receiver into camp, one the franchise is already familiar with.
The Raiders signed Keelan Doss who has had multiple stints with the franchise already as an undrafted free agent. In 2019 Doss appeared in eight games with the franchise, finishing the year with 11 catches for 133 yards. Doss spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Raiders also signed offensive lineman Corey Luciano which should help bring some depth to the group as starting left tackle Kolton Miller and rookie guard Jackson Powers-Johnson begin camp on the PUP list.
