Frisco, Texas — Michael Gallup's fate has been decided by the Dallas Cowboys. Just before the door opened to free agency this year, he was given permission to search for a potential trade partner, but the veteran wide receiver was unable to do so and was released.
The decision has been in the works for months, considering the 28-year-old was due more than $13 million against the Cowboys' salary cap this year and nearly $46 million over the remaining three years of his existing contract. It was approaching from before. That's out of proportion to his recent struggles.
The Cowboys will likely designate Gallup for release after June 1, which doesn't preclude him from signing with another club right away, but Dallas has a hefty cap hit of $9.5 million in 2024. You will definitely get some savings. Restructuring Zach Martin's contract, which was reworked last July, pushed them further into the green.
According to Overthecap.com, the Cowboys' current cap space would move to about $11.7 million following Gallup's release, which would also be subject to a June 1 designation.
If he is designated for release before June 1, his savings would be significantly reduced to just $800,000, a minuscule amount that is only $3 million below the current cap.
So, in the end, deciding which boxes to tick is easy.
Gallup's on-field struggles were largely due to his path back from a torn ACL suffered in 2021, with Gallup not consistently returning to the dynamic form he had before that season-ending injury.
He showed flashes in 2023, but with the rise of other receivers like Kavonte Turpin and fellow former third-round pick Jalen Tolbert, and the addition of Brandin Cooks, acquired in a trade from the Houston Texans last spring. was carved into Gallup's target rate. 2024 fifth-round pick.
Since then, Cooks has become a true complement to CeeDee Lamb, and the jump of second-year tight end Jake Ferguson has made things even more difficult week-to-week for Gallup.
Gallup, a former third-round pick in 2018, has been one of the most productive receivers in recent seasons and leaves the Cowboys as a complete professional, coach and locker room presence.
He was able to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in just his second year in the NFL, but this was alongside Amari Cooper and his deep-threat ability before Lamb entered the league as a professional baseball player. He demonstrated his ability to carry out physically violent catch attacks. 2020 first round pick.
The three formed a strong team with quarterback Dak Prescott before Cooper was traded in 2022, with Gallup stepping up and taking the reins as WR2 and Lamb filling the WR1 position vacated by Cooper's departure. I decided to take over the role. The Cowboys gave Gallup a five-year contract extension despite suffering a torn ACL just a few months ago.
Gallup entered the league as a two-time All-Mountain West selection and a consensus All-American out of Colorado State University, but before his injury, there was no doubt he had the ability to dominate at the NFL level.
Since then, he's made a few game-changing plays since his return, but nothing has matched what he once was, and a fresh start could potentially be a no-brainer for him. There is no match for him in scenarios that could lead to more targets than not. Dallas.
