There were two rather surprising retirement announcements in the National Football League this week. On Tuesday according to Jared Dubin and Garrett Podell of CBS Sports, Miami Dolphins linebacker Shaquil Barrett of Baltimore, Maryland retired at the age of 31. Then on Wednesday, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Michael Gallup of Atlanta, Georgia retired at the age of 28 according to Ryan Gaydos of FOX News.
It should be noted that the retirements came before Barrett played for the Dolphins and Gallup played for the Raiders. Barrett signed with the Dolphins on March 18, and Gallup signed with the Raiders on April 30.
Barrett played four seasons with the Denver Broncos from 2015 to 2018, and then five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2019 to 2023. In 131 games, he had 400 combined tackles (289 solo tackles and 111 assisted tackles), 73 tackles for a loss, 125 quarterback hits, one safety, three interceptions for 11 yards, one pick six, 18 pass deflections, 22 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries for two yards and 59 sacks. The safety came in a 28-10 Buccaneers win over the Broncos on September 27, 2010. The interception return for a touchdown was for four yards and came in a 27-17 Buccaneers win over the Chicago Bears on September 17, 2023.
Barrett won a Super Bowl with the Broncos in 2015, and Buccaneers in 2021. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2021, and led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019. In Barrett’s final NFL season, he had 52 combined tackles (33 solo tackles and 19 assisted tackles), three tackles for a loss, nine quarterback hits, one interception for four yards and one touchdown, two pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and 4.5 sacks.
Gallup played the last six seasons with the Cowboys. In 86 games, he had 266 catches for 3744 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns. In 2023, Gallup had 34 catches for 18 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Both of Gallup’s touchdowns this past season came in Cowboys wins. The first was for 41 yards in a 49-17 Cowboys win over the New York Giants on November 12, 2023, and the second was for one yard in a 33-13 Cowboys win over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 10, 2023.
