In his prime, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup was seen as one of the best deep threats across the NFL.
Injuries and ineffective play ended up hurting the former third-round pick. After missing the entire 2024 season following his surprise retirement, it was perceived that the former Colorado St. product simply wanted to leave the league on his own terms.
That changed this past week when he opted to apply for reinstatement and signed a free agent deal with the Washington Commanders.
With the contract given by Washington, Gallup was able to reunite with former Cowboys defensive coordinator and current Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. That alone was enough to want to keep playing.
"There's a lot of meat on that bone," Gallup said. "I gotta get back. I just feel like the way I was let go after being in one place for so long, and then jumping onto another team and not being able to process. Trying to process that, it was just too fast for me. And I wasn't there yet. DQ was DC, and he's worried about a wide receiver. He's always checking up on me. He's one of the great dudes in the locker room that you want to have as a coach."
Gallup is joining a Commanders offense that has two top receiver Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel. He'll have to earn any and all playing time he receives.
If he's able to get anywhere close to where he was early in his career, though, Washington will be able to be even better than they were last year on offense.
