Dallas Cowboys close to deal with free-agent-to-be wide receiver

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dallas Cowboys are close to striking a deal with wide receiver Michael Gallup. A new contract would see Gallup become the new one-two punch for quarterback Dak Prescott in the upcoming years with CeeDee Lamb.

“Cowboys have been working on a new deal with free-agent-to-be WR Michael Gallup and a deal is considered “close,” per sources,” Schefter said via Twitter. “There’s hope the two sides can get it done and keep Gallup in Dallas.”

Gallup suffered two major injuries during the 2021 season, most recently tearing his ACL on Jan. 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. In the season opener against the Tampa Buccaneers, Gallup suffered a calf injury that held him out for the majority of the season. He only appeared in nine games this year for the Cowboys.

Those injuries could affect the type of money Gallup gets from the Cowboys but nonetheless, he seems to be on the way toward earning a second contract. Being a third-round pick during the 2018 NFL draft, the wide receiver is just the latest example of Dallas finding good prospects past Day One. Another one of their homegrown players will be receiving a nice paycheck soon.

Dallas Cowboys prioritizing Michael Gallup over Amari Cooper

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Friday morning that the Dallas Cowboys are likely to release wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Cowboys have some work to do in the offseason, with holes on the roster and not a lot of cap space to maneuver. According to a report by Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, while the Cowboys plan to release Cooper, they are prioritizing pending free agent Michael Gallup.

“Part of the plan here, I’m told from a league source, is buttoning up a long term deal for Michael Gallup,” Robinson tweeted in response to the Cooper news. “#Cowboys felt it was an either/or and are making Gallup the priority.”

This past season was the fourth of Gallup’s NFL career, and he has been with the Cowboys for each season. Dallas selected Gallup in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Colorado State. As a rookie in 2018, he had 33 receptions for 507 yards and two touchdowns. In 2019, he has 1,107 yards and six touchdowns on 66 receptions. During the 2020 season, Gallup caught 59 passes for 843 yards and five touchdowns.

In his four-year NFL career, Gallup has 193 receptions for 2,902 yards and 15 touchdowns in 55 regular season games. During two playoff games in 2018, he caught eight passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.