Cowboys Contract Clock: Ticking on Gallup vs. Amari

The Cowboys face many possibilities when it comes to their fourth-year wide receiver, but most are out of their control right now

In 64 days, the NFL Trade Deadline will come and go, and at that point we’ll know whether the Dallas Cowboys felt the need to trade wide receiver Michael Gallup.

To me, it’s probably the most important question the Cowboys face as they attempt to assess what they need in 2021. And that wasn’t something the Cowboys could assess during the preseason, and not because Gallup didn’t play much.

Trading Gallup is something the Cowboys can only assess once the season begins, even as just about everyone has talked about or written about the option of dealing Gallup for the past several months. Our Blitzcast crew assessed this in July, at a time when training camp was just beginning. Mike Fisher also explored the contractual options for Gallup and several other players in August.

Why is all this important? Well, that’s simple. Gallup is the Cowboys’ most marketable asset for an in-season trade to upgrade the team, most specifically on defense. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, which means he’s cheap to any team that takes him on and they’re not tied to him beyond next season. He’s proven to be a producer on the field and a solid teammate. The last is what makes him attractive to Dallas, too.

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In a world where the Cowboys didn't take CeeDee Lamb in the first round of last year’s draft, trading Gallup probably wouldn’t be a discussion. He would be the clear No. 2 behind Amari Cooper and the discussion would be about a contract extension and not a potential trade. But with Lamb coming off a stellar rookie season and poised to take a big step this season, Gallup is the No. 3 option in the passing game, albeit a great one.

And part of this conversation is about Cooper, too. He's a $20 million APY guy. Do the Cowboys keep Amari next yeat at $20 mil, and also pony up for Gallup at, say, $12 million APY?

When Gallup hits free agency next spring, he and his agent will control his fate, and he’ll have no shortage of suitors. He’s already had a 1,000-yard season (2019), and even with Lamb’s rookie season in 2020, Gallup caught 59 passes for 853 yards and five touchdowns. He will be marketable as a free agent. And he will be marketable as a trade asset.

For now, Gallup doesn’t control his fate. His fate is under the sway of several factors.

First, how do the Cowboys start the season? If they fly out of the gate and emerge as an immediate Super Bowl contender, the Cowboys may not have the need to deal Gallup. If they struggle, the Cowboys might see the need to see what they can get for Gallup on the open market.

Second, there’s the development of the Cowboys’ defense. I’ve watched this defense throughout the preseason, and it certainly has some intriguing pieces (Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville notwithstanding). How it comes together could play a role in what happens with Gallup. If the unit comes together quickly and doesn’t need reinforcements, the Cowboys could keep him. But, if the Cowboys defense is banged up, lacks chemistry or needs that ‘one piece’ to get them over the hump, Gallup could be the key to making that happen.

Third, what happens behind Gallup on the wide receiver depth chart? If the Cowboys decide to move Gallup, they’ll need someone to step into his role. Is Ced Wilson that guy? Did the Cowboys find that new candidate during the preseason? Will one emerge in the first two months of the season to make Gallup, for lack of a better word, expendable?

Fourth, what happens with the other NFL teams? Injuries, the emergence of new receivers and the lack of production of veteran receivers will play a role in who wants Gallup (and what the Cowboys could get in return).

And, finally, what can the Cowboys get in return for Gallup? That’s perhaps the important part of the equation. The Cowboys shouldn’t give him away for just anything. That’s why the Cowboys have played this well to this point by not simply looking at Gallup’s impending free agency and determining that they ‘need’ to deal him.

From my point of view, Gallup is on borrowed time in Dallas. And it’s not because he’s not a fit for what Dallas wants to do this season or beyond. It’s because another NFL team will pay him more than the Cowboys will be willing to pay come spring. That won’t be the Cowboys’ fault. That will be the market.

All of that is why the next two months are so important for the Cowboys. I don’t have an issue with the Cowboys keeping Gallup and letting the chips fall where they may in 2022, especially if the Cowboys are contending. Far from it. Gallup as a third option makes this Cowboys offense as dangerous as any in the league. But the reality is we don’t know how the season will evolve and the preseason told us nothing about the future.

It was never designed to do that. The fun part starts next Thursday night. Real football. Finally. And a real path to determining Gallup’s future in Dallas.

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You can reach Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.