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In the doggiest days of an unprecedently unique NFL offseason, Dallas Cowboys fans are left to wonder what exactly Michael Gallup is trying to communicate.
The third-year wide receiver on Sunday took to his social media platforms — Instagram and Twitter — to drop a pair of mysterious musings, which may or may not be football-related.
A Cowboys reddit user captured this July 5 IG story update from Gallup:
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And Gallup himself tweeted something mysteriously vague:
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An Explanation?
Theories on Gallup’s posts have ranged from a high-profile trade in the works to the 2019 breakout star merely reacting to Kanye West’s supposed run for president, which West announced shortly before Gallup hit the social media streets.
The trade theory holds water if only because Bleacher Report recently called for Dallas to ship Gallup to a needy suitor ahead of the 2020 regular season. The logic was two-fold: Net premium compensation (sell high) and establish first-round rookie CeeDee Lamb as Amari Cooper’s long-term partner-in-pass-catching.
Dallas just gave fellow receiver Amari Cooper a five-year, $100 million extension and is trying to work out a long-term deal with quarterback Dak Prescott. There simply may not be enough money available to pay Gallup when he’s eligible for a new deal next offseason.
And with rookie first-round receiver CeeDee Lamb now in the fold, Gallup could be viewed as somewhat expendable.
While it would be ideal to have a trio of Cooper, Gallup and Lamb catching passes from Prescott well into the future, it’s not feasible. Sending Gallup to a receiver-needy team now would likely net a Day 2 draft pick at worst and would open the door for Lamb to become Cooper’s new running mate.
Trade Unlikely
Even if it involved a desired target like Jets safety Jamal Adams, Dallas didn’t erect a top-five WR corps only to dismantle it as quickly as it was built. Suggesting Gallup is dealt sometime in the future is one thing; suggesting they cut bait before the trio takes even one snap together is quite another — ludicrous.
From a financial standpoint, the team controls Gallup’s rights through 2022, and for relative peanuts. He’s scheduled to make just $750,000 ($972,495 salary cap charge) this season and $920,000 ($1.142 million) in 2021, his age-25 campaign. For a talent as massive as the former second-round pick, those are almost insulting costs.
From a roster-building perspective, Gallup is coming off a 66-catch, 1,107-yard, six-touchdown season in which 75.76 percent of his receptions resulted in first downs. And, incredibly, five of his six scores came when quarterback Dak Prescott was under pressure, which led the NFL.
Prescott trusts Cooper, certainly, but he also has something special brewing with Gallup, and it need not be disturbed.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL
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