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 There's no secret
 <a href="https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener">
 the Dallas Cowboys
 </a>
 need help at the wide receiver position. After a few years dominating the NFL in passing offense, things cratered in 2024. While CeeDee Lamb has emerged as one of the best targets in all of football, the supporting staff around him has crumbled, year by year. When Lamb started in 2020, he was surrounded by Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. After his second year, the
 <a href="https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/football/nfl/teams/dallas-cowboys/331">
 Cowboys
 </a>
 had a financial decision to make, and decided to re-sign Gallup and release Cooper.


 The decision was ill-advised as Gallup's lower-body injuries never allowed him to return to the heights he achieved at the start of his career. Two years alter the Cowboys were done with Gallup, releasing him while eating a ton of dead money (
 <a href="https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cowboys/2025/03/13/free-agency-cowboys-michael-gallup-cap-space/82370259007/" rel="noreferrer noopener">
 Gallup will count $8.7 million on Dallas' cap in 2025
 </a>
 ) behind. Gallup signed with the
 <a href="https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/football/nfl/teams/las-vegas-raiders/341">
 Las Vegas Raiders
 </a>
 , but retired right before training camp, walking away from the game.


 But now he's back, signing with the
 <a href="https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/football/nfl/teams/washington-commanders/363">
 Washington Commanders
 </a>
 on Thursday to jump start his career. Of course, when he was introduced to the local media, a lot of time was spent asking him about his time in Dallas, his relationship with Dan Quinn, and trying to find out exactly what happened that led to his sudden retirement. "There's a lot of meat on that bone," he began his press conference when asked why he was ready to return after a year off.


 <div>
 
 
 </div>


 Gallup walked away from a
 <a href="https://overthecap.com/player/michael-gallup/6966" rel="noreferrer noopener">
 one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Raiders
 </a>
 , and sat out for the season. He met with Washington when free agency started over a week ago, and then put pen to paper Thursday. Why Washington?


 Gallup spoke of how Dan Quinn, even though he was the defensive coordinator, would check on him as a receiver, "he's great people, I'm glad we crossed paths... I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."


 As for what it will feel like facing off against his former teammates? If Gallup has deep thoughts about that, he wasn't going to let it be known on Day 1 in Washington.


 "It's definitely gonna be different, but that gridiron is gonna be the same regardless. Half the folks back in Dallas, they're not even there anymore. I'll be playing a whole new team, just like playing anybody else."


 Now that's not entirely true. His quarterback, one of his close friends on the team Dak Prescott, is still there. The majority of the wideout room and the tight end room, the pass catchers he went through drills with, are almost all there; Lamb, Tolbert, Turpin, Brooks, Ferguson and Schoonmaker are all there. But overall, there are a ton of players from the majority of his time with the team that have moved on.


 Another angle fans have to wonder whether or not Gallup is being totally forthcoming, is whether or not the dysfunction with the Raiders had anything to do with his decision to call it quits in 2024.


 Gallup finished the Cowboys portion of his career with
 <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GallMi00.htm" rel="noreferrer noopener">
 21 receiving touchdowns on 3,744 receiving yards
 </a>
 thanks to hauling in 266 of 479 targets. Before his injuries, Gallup was a deep threat for Prescott, averaging 15.6 yards per reception his first three years. His last three in town were a much different story, averaging just 11.9 ypr.


 
 This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire:
 <a href="https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cowboys/2025/03/20/commanders-wr-michael-gallup-retirement-cowboys-return/82571414007/">
 'A lot of meat on that bone' Former Cowboys WR un-retires, joins rival, talks Dallas
 </a>

'A lot of meat on that bone' Former Cowboys WR un-retires, joins rival, talks Dallas

There's no secret the Dallas Cowboys need help at the wide receiver position. After a few years dominating the NFL in passing ...