Getty Cowboys WR Michael Gallup
Michael Gallup is under contract through next season, but that fact hasn’t curtailed speculation about his future with the Dallas Cowboys.
A future Gallup nonetheless hopes will extend deep into the 2020s.
“I’d love to stay here as long as possible. As long as possible,” the third-year wide receiver said after Sunday’s win over Philadelphia, via the Dallas Morning News. “It’s a great group of guys here. A great team, a great coaching staff. I want to be here as long as I can, as long as possible. It’s not always up to me, so we’ll just see how that goes.”
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Season Recap
This idea of his potential departure took root after Gallup was held to zero catches on two targets amid Dallas’ Week 7 loss to Washington, his lowest output across three NFL seasons. Following a 2019 breakout in which he produced 1,107 yards and six touchdowns on 66 catches (113 targets), Gallup has crashed back down to earth, like several others, in the Dak Prescott-less offense.
Through 15 starts, he’s made 55 receptions for 794 yards and five touchdowns, outperformed by both Amari Cooper (1,073 yards) and rookie CeeDee Lamb (892). Gallup has recorded just two 100-yard performances, including a six-grab, 121-yard, two-TD effort in Sunday’s win against the Eagles.
His future appeared at its most tenuous prior to October’s trading deadline when a team official issued a “short but straightforward” denial that Gallup was on the block. The Dallas Morning News‘ source “clearly closed the door on the notion, dismissing the possibility out of hand.”
“If they were to deal a top receiver, he wouldn’t be the logical choice,” the source added.
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Long-Term Outlook
Gallup, a 2018 third-round draft pick, is still only 24 and under contract for peanuts — $750,000 this season and $920,000 in 2021, his walk year. He’s already proven at the NFL level and displayed tremendous chemistry with Prescott, particularly on deep balls. For all those reasons, but mostly financial, this “makes the Cowboys less inclined to move him,” the Dallas Morning News reported.
The Cowboys should sooner think about extending Gallup than breaking up the Big Three they literally just assembled to the delight of thrill-seeking owner/general manager Jerry Jones.
“Obviously we’ve had with Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, players like that. We’ve had a great history,” Jones said in September. “But I would say as far as for the time we’re playing for right now, it’s we’re in more of a passing game. I would say that this group of receivers gives us the best offense under the rules that I’ve been associated with relative to what you ask our of receivers. … This is about as versatile as I’ve seen our passing game ever with the goods to back it up.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL