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With the primary goal to build around rookie quarterback Justin Fields once the regular season ends, the Chicago Bears will be tasked with rebuilding their offensive line. They’ll also need to find their young signal-caller more weapons.
One name that has been gaining a lot of steam is current Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup, particularly after back-to-back nationally televised games in which he made plays like this:
And this, which was a thing of beauty:
Both Luis Medina of Bleacher Nation and Aaron Leming of SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron are in agreement: The Bears should do their due diligence when it comes to trying to sign Gallup next year.
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Gallup Would Be Excellent Addition to Bears Offense
Gallup turns 26 in March, and he’s going to be one of the most intriguing unrestricted free agents available next year. He missed seven games this season with a calf strain, but he returned from injured reserve looking better than ever, highlighted by his eight-catch, 106-yard performance against the Las Vegas Raiders Week 12 on Thanksgiving.
The fourth-year wideout’s best season statistically came in 2019, when he caught 66 passes for 1,107 yards (16.8 yards per reception) and six touchdowns. In his four seasons, Gallup has 180 catches for 2,721 yards (15.1 yards per catch) and 14 TDs. With wide receiver Allen Robinson likely gone when the season ends, Gallup could be an ascending player the team should target in free agency.
“There are some real pre-2018 Allen Robinson free agency vibes here. Like Robinson, Gallup has a 1,000-yard receiving season under his belt,” Medina wrote on December 3. “Gallup’s 1,100-yard campaign was just two seasons ago. And just as it would’ve made sense for the Jaguars to retain Robinson, it makes sense for the Cowboys to keep Gallup. But between salary cap considerations and depth elsewhere at the position, perhaps Gallup is the odd-man out.”
If that’s the case, the Bears need to move.
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How Much Money Will Gallup Be Looking to Make?
It’s hard to say, but the market for wide receivers wasn’t that great this past offseason.
“I think Corey Davis money ($37.5M/3) or around there is probably a good comp,” PFF salary cap expert Brad Spielberger tweeted on December 2. when asked how much he thinks Gallup is set to get paid next season.
If that’s what Gallup ends up commanding, the Bears should jump all over it. He’s young, an excellent route runner and other than the calf injury this year, he hasn’t had any red flags injury-wise since entering the league. Even if he’s asking for a bit more than three years at $37.5 million, which was a projection by Spielberger, it would be a good idea for Chicago to pay it.
A pairing with young emerging wideout Darnell Mooney would be a good start when it comes to surrounding Fields with weapons, and Gallup very much looks like a player on the verge of breaking out.
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