The Las Vegas Raiders are signing wide receiver Michael Gallup. The contract is a one-year deal, worth up to $3 million. The 28-year-old has put together a respectable six-year career with the Dallas Cowboys. But he is no longer in his prime. Last season he totalled 418 yards on 34 receptions. It seems as though his 50-plus reception and 800-plus yard seasons are well behind him.

Gallup’s Impact on Raiders

The Raiders are not signing Gallup to be a star pass catcher. They already have star Davante Adams leading their wideouts, with a second solid option of Jakobi Meyers. This move allows the Raiders to delay drafting wide receivers another year. They missed out on the top wide receivers in the 2024 Draft and added Brock Bowers instead, a great pass-catching tight end.

The wide receiver room in Las Vegas is filled with guys nearing the end of their careers, so they’ll need to retool soon. This move doesn’t prevent them from doing that, as there is no long-term commitment. The 2025 draft has some phenomenal wide receiver prospects the Raiders could look to target.

The Raiders won’t look to give Gallup too much of a role this year. The idea is for him to provide depth to a room that lost Hunter Renfrow. Gallup can be used well as a red zone threat, so look for him to get matchups in the end zone. Other than this, Gallup may not see the field much.

What’s Next For Gallup

Gallup will be giving everything he has to show something this year. After being released earlier this off-season by the Cowboys, it took a while before anyone signed Gallup. Since he was released, and not an expiring contract, he didn’t count towards the compensation draft pick formula. There was no excuse for teams not to sign him – other than not wanting him. He even visited with a wide receiver needy team in the Baltimore Ravens who passed on him.

Gallup will need to prove himself this year with the Raiders if he doesn’t want this season to be his last.