Michael Gallup was a 2018 third-round pick out of Colorado State and was a pleasant surprise for the Dallas Cowboys, catching 33 passes in his rookie season. He had a breakout year in his second season, hauling in 66 receptions for 1,107 yards. He would never eclipse the 1,000-yard mark again.
Gallup tore his ACL late in the 2021 season in a home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Even with the injury, Dallas saw it fit to hand him a five-year, $57.5 million contract. The Cowboys have not reaped the benefits of their confidence in his recovery and are now ready to move in a different direction.
Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports Dallas has permitted Gallup to seek a trade and if none can be consummated, Gallup is expected to be released.
Cowboys have given WR Michael Gallup permission to seek a trade a source said. Situation is tough because teams expect Gallup to be released. @dmn_cowboys
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) March 10, 2024
Gallup had just 39 receptions for a paltry 424 yards and four touchdowns in 2021. It was hoped by many another year removed from the injury would lead to a resurgence. However even with close friend QB Dak Prescott having an MVP-caliber season, Gallup’s numbers never improved. He finished with 34 receptions for 418 yards and two scores last season, ranking near the bottom in wide receiver separation metrics across the entire league.
(This is a Dak Prescott tweet too) https://t.co/1gL9GD8Ksr
— KD Drummond (@KDDrummondNFL) February 17, 2024
Gallup has reached the end of the guaranteed money in his deal, and has an an $8.5 million base salary and $1 million in roster bonuses on the table for the 2024 season. His cap hit is at $13.85 million thanks to prorated bonus money allocated onto this coming league year’s cap.
A trade before June 1 carries the same ramifications as an outright release saving the Cowboys a mere $800,000 in cap space and leaving a little over $13 million in dead money; cap hit allocated to the other remaining years of his deal that would accelerate onto the current year’s cap.
A June 1st designated release keeps those future cap hits at bay until 2025 and would give Dallas $9.5 million in cap space, but not until June 2.
That savings is enough space to get the projected draft class under contract.
Dallas appeared to have a three-headed receiving monster that never had it’s true peak. CeeDee Lamb was drafted in 2020 and has now ascended to top-of-the-league status. However the team traded wideout Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick in 2022 and now Gallup will be gone as well.
With limited cap space, Dallas must add another position of need to fill in an offseason filled with changes.