Football
Why did new Commanders receiver retire and then decide to return? – Bryan Manning, USA Today
Former Cowboys wide receiver returns to football for the rival Washington Commanders.
Even after trading for Deebo Samuel and re-signing Noah Brown and K.J. Osborn, the Washington Commanders still needed more depth at wide receiver. When free agency opened, Terry McLaurin and Luke McCaffrey were the only receivers under contract for 2025. Washington lost two key depth pieces in free agency when Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus signed elsewhere.
On Thursday, Washington introduced Samuel to the media while quietly signing a veteran wide receiver that fans should know: Michael Gallup.
Gallup actually visited Washington during the first week of free agency but left without a contract. Just over one week later, the Commanders signed the former Dallas Cowboys third-round pick for a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum.
When news of Gallup’s visit surfaced, fans groaned. Why? Gallup actually retired last summer, and before his retirement, he hadn’t caught more than 39 passes since 2020. Injuries played a role in Gallup’s struggles with Dallas at the end of his tenure.
In six years with the Cowboys from 2018-23, Gallup appeared in 86 games with 67 starts and had 266 receptions, 3,744 receiving yards, and 21 touchdown receptions. So, while he may have never been a No. 1 receiver, Gallup has enjoyed NFL success and is still only 29.
So, why did Gallup retire?
After signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, Gallup said he wasn’t in the “right head space” and retired in July. Before signing with Las Vegas, all six of Gallup’s NFL seasons were in Dallas.
“The way I was let go from being in some place for so long and then jumping right into a whole other team and not being able to process it,” he said. “I never went through that before. So, trying out how to process that and everything, I think it was just fast for me, and I wasn’t there yet.”
Gallup doesn’t need to be Washington’s No. 1 or No. 2 receiver in 2025. If he makes the roster, the Commanders could use Gallup to fill Brown’s (30 receptions) or Zaccheaus’ (45 receptions) production. If he doesn’t, Washington loses nothing. [Dan] Quinn wanted to give Gallup another shot to make it, and the rest is up to the veteran wideout.
Eagles believe expanded regular-season overtime will add 30 total plays per season – Mike Florio, NBC Sports
Philadelphia hopes to align the regular and postseason overtime rules.
When the Eagles last played an overtime game, against the Bills during the 2023 season, Philly benefited from the regular-season rule that guarantees a possession for the team that kick offs to start overtime — if the team that receives scores a field goal. The Eagles now want the guaranteed possession for the kicking team even if the first drive of overtime results in a touchdown.
We addressed the issue earlier today, making the point that the potential expansion of regular-season overtime to up to 15 minutes shows that the concerns that fueled the 2017 shrinkage of regular-season overtime to 10 minutes (propping up and protecting Thursday Night Football) no longer apply.
The proposal, which seemed last month to be destined to be made by the Competition Committee and not by any one team, isn’t expected to result in a significant uptick in snaps, if passes. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Eagles believe the adoption of the postseason two-guaranteed-possessions rule along with a 15-minute overtime will add only 30 plays per year.
The extra plays will happen only if/when a game goes to overtime and the team that receives the opening kickoff scores a touchdown on the first drive.
But what about the possibility of a pair of touchdowns and a third drive? It’s believed that the team that scores a touchdown on the second drive of overtime will go for two in lieu of giving the other team an opportunity to win the game with a field goal. So there typically won’t be a third drive, if the first two result in touchdowns.
That’s the ultimate attraction of tweaking the rule for the regular season. Eventually, a game will come down to a two-point conversion that will determine the game.
And the wind seems to currently be blowing in the direction of the proposal passing, with regular-season overtime matching postseason overtime, but for the fact that in the regular season there can indeed be a tie.
Report: Russell Wilson Prefers Giants Over Steelers – Patricia Traina, Sports Illustrated
Despite the mutual interest, money may be the biggest sticking point right now.
The New York Giants continue to wait in their quest to sign a veteran quarterback.
The Giants are thought to be waiting for Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind, but in the interim, they’ve met with Russell Wilson, who might be a better fit than Rodgers.
During an appearance on SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Wilson sees the Giants as “more of a viable option at this point” for him to continue his career [h/t Bleacher Report].
If Wilson wants the Giants, and the Giants thought enough of Wilson to have him in for a visit twice (including last year), then why hasn’t a deal been struck?
The likely answer is money. The Giants were reportedly all set to meet Matthew Stafford’s desire to be paid like a top-10 quarterback had a trade been worked out.
While it’s unknown what price point Wilson might be seeking, it’s not a stretch to conclude that the financial terms of a potential union still need to be ironed out before a deal can be struck.
Like any other human seeking a paid position, Wilson probably thinks he’s worth just as much as his contemporaries. However, as is the case across multiple employment landscapes, there is typically a give-and-take in which two sides ultimately meet somewhere in the middle.
Wilson has also drawn interest from the Cleveland Browns, who, according to Over the Cap, have more cap space to spend ($20.221 million) on a quarterback than the Giants ($17.207 million).
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