Not long after 5 p.m. local time on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Raiders announced a smattering of roster moves, including the placement of wide receiver Michael Gallup onto the reserve/retired list.
Gallup’s retirement jumped up out of nowhere, a stunning development for many, including Raiders general manager Tom Telesco.
"I didn't see that one coming at all," Telesco said Thursday, via The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. "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."
It was likely less of a surprise to Gallup’s former teammate, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott said Thursday that Gallup, 28, reached out to him about retirement earlier this summer and that the wideout is healthy and secure financially.
“He knows how much I love him and support him,” Prescott said, via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins.
Less than two months ago, Gallup signed a one-year, $3 million pact to join the Raiders following six seasons with the Cowboys.
Gallup won’t end up taking a snap for Las Vegas, leaving the squad’s WR corps with some depth issues for Telesco to potentially address.
Over those half-dozen seasons, Gallup played 86 games for the Cowboys, catching 266 passes for 3,744 yards and 21 touchdowns. Most of those passes were thrown by Prescott.
“Hell of a receiver, but a better dude,” Prescott said, via the Cowboys team website’s Patrik Walker. “And he was huge for my career.”