There’s a reason why the Dallas Cowboys are suddenly OK with letting Amari Cooper go. While he may not replace the consistent 1,000-yard production that Cooper offered, the Cowboys have another dangerous wide receiver they’d like to retain long-term. With Michael Gallup set for unrestricted free agency there’s little question as to whether the franchise would like to keep their 26-year-old wideout.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are close to coming to terms on a new contract for Gallup. There’s no word on the compensation, but there’s positivity on both sides that a deal will be completed before free agency begins, keeping him from testing the open market.
In perhaps an effort to save cap space, reallocating some of their funds elsewhere on the team, the Cowboys appear ready to swap Cooper for Gallup. Moving on from Cooper saves $16 million on the cap in 2022. We’ll see just how much the team is willing to invest annually in Gallup when the numbers are revealed if the deal eventually gets agreed to.
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Michael Gallup is good, but not great
It’s easy to see why the Dallas Cowboys wish to retain Michael Gallup, he’s a good player, but is this a step backward for the organization? Is Jerry Jones simply getting too emotional about some recent frustration about Cooper’s play at the end of the Cowboys’ season?
Cooper is just 27 years old and remains a viable No. 1 option on a team that has two of them, with the emergence of CeeDee Lamb. But they also had the top scoring offense in the NFL at 31.2 points per game. What they had worked.
On the other end of the spectrum, doling out $22 million to Cooper in 2022 seems a bit rich for their tastes, especially with Lamb and Gallup available. In the end, it depends how the decision-makers spend the money saved from the loss of Cooper, and ultimately it depends on how the roster looks by Week 1.
Teams will be glad to have the opportunity to add Cooper. It’s not all that often for a 27-year old free agent with four Pro Bowls under his belt to hit free agency. His market should develop quickly.