Heading into training camp last year, the Las Vegas Raiders were expecting Michael Gallup to have an impact as their third or fourth wide receiver. However, right before training camp actually started, Gallup chose to retire from the NFL.
He was only 28 at the time and it looks like a year off has rejuvenated him. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Gallup is planning to make a comeback this offseason. The Raiders controlled his rights but they announced that they had released him outright.
This will allow the wide receiver to go straight into free agency. Las Vegas has a new front office and coaching staff from when Gallup was with the team last season so it’s not a surprise they’d let him go test free agency.
There should be some interest in the veteran wide receiver around the NFL. It’s been a long time since he had his lone thousand-yard season in 2019 but he may still be able to be productive and is only 29. Plenty of teams need wide receiver depth and perhaps a return to the Dallas Cowboys could make some sense. He’s also from Atlanta so he could potentially take a look at the Falcons as a possible landing spot.
WR Becoming One of Raiders’ Biggest Needs
With the trade for Geno Smith, quarterback is no longer a need for the Raiders. It was their biggest need heading into the offseason but they’ve at least got a short-term solution at the position.
Wide receiver now arguably becomes their biggest need. Jakobi Meyers is the only wide receiver on the roster who has had more than 600 receiving yards in a season. Even Meyers is more of a No. 2 wide receiver.
The Raiders need a bonafide No. 1 option. The team could look at Chris Godwin in free agency but he’s also more of a high-end No. 2 than a No. 1. Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan is considered the best wide receiver in the draft class and could now be the target at No. 6 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Raiders could also still consider a trade for Seahawks Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf. That may be less likely following the Smith trade. Regardless, Las Vegas is going to try to find an upgrade at wide receiver this offseason.
Raiders Praised for Smtih Trade
It wasn’t a huge surprise that the Raiders traded for Smith but it did appear for a long time that the team would be aggressive in drafting a quarterback. Instead, they’ve chosen to build around Smith.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic gave the Raiders a “B+” grade for making the deal.
“Carroll and the 34-year-old Smith reunite with a rebuilding franchise,” Howe wrote in a March 7 column. “Quite frankly, the appeal of a rebuild might not have been there for the other veterans on the market, so among realistic options, Smith could easily be viewed as the ideal veteran quarterback for their situation.
“Now the Raiders don’t have to force it in the draft, which we’ve noted all along is dangerous for two reasons. First, it’s a shaky class. And second, the 2026 class could be dynamite, so the Raiders have given themselves the freedom to choose their path.”
