Cowboys urged to cut ties with $57.5 Million ‘Poor investment’

It’s anticipated that as the Dallas Cowboys’ offseason progresses, things will get ugly.

That’s what happens to a squad that has another 12-5 season and another unexpected playoff collapse.

A difficult few weeks are ahead of Mike McCarthy and the coaching staff. J

erry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, and the front staff are going to have a difficult few weeks. Additionally, the team’s

accountants should have a difficult few months, which implies that some of the Cowboys’ higher-paid players, including wide

receiver Michael Gallup, will also have a difficult time.

Gallup was emblematic of all that went wrong for the Cowboys this season.

He was a major disappointment during the season, with 34 catches and just 418 yards, the fewest of his career.

He posted shiny numbers in the Cowboys’ wild-card loss to the Packers (six catches and 103 yards) but did not make a catch

until the Packers were down 20-0, and he had only two first-half catches for 25 yards.

Now, with the Cowboys facing a massive payroll crunch, Gallup could be on the firing line.

That’s the sentiment from

Bleacher Report this week, which tabbed the Cowboys players most likely to be “cap casualties” and put Gallup at the top of the list.

Here’s how B/R’s Kris Knox views the issue for the Cowboys, who, according to OverTheCap.com, are already $16 million

above the salary cap going into the summer and will have to watch every dollar.

Since the Dallas Cowboys signed wide receiver Michael Gallup to a five-year, $57.5 million agreement in 2022, Gallup has

found it difficult to live up to expectations.

Even while he can still produce the odd huge play, Gallup made it obvious that Brandin Cooks had taken over as the number-two receiver this season.

“Jerry Jones rarely admits to poor investments, but it’s time to either restructure Gallup’s deal or pull the plug entirely.

Releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would save $9.5 million in cap space while triggering a dead-cap hit of only

$4.4 million,” Knox wrote in the January 16 story.

While the Cowboys have one of the top wideouts in the league in star CeeDee Lamb, they’ve struggled to find a player who fits

the bill as a second option.

Cooks is solid, but he is 30 years old and better suited to occupy a No. 3 role. Gallup has the speed and downfield ability to be

a No. 2, which is why they got rid of Amari Cooper (who topped 1,100 yards each of the past two seasons), but Gallup has yet

to translate his ability into production.

Cowboys Have Expensive Decisions Ahead

The Cowboys do not have the luxury of letting Gallup get away with underachieving anymore.

They can’t afford mistakes like letting Cooper walk, nor can they wait on draft picks such as 2022 third-rounder Jalen Tolbert.

That’s because for the Cowboys, a lot of the free lunches they’ve had in the last couple of years are not going to be free any more.

Dallas must pay Dak Prescott, who may still receive the largest contract in NFL history this offseason even if he led the recent playoff catastrophe.

The $59.5 million remaining on his backloaded contract after the upcoming season needs to be restructured into a long-term agreement.

Additionally, Micah Parsons and Lamb must be paid among the highest salaries for athletes in their positions by the Cowboys.

Parsons and Lamb played together for a total of $9 million last season since they were still in their rookie contracts. Now that

the Cowboys are required to provide extensions, that will alter.

Dallas will need to tighten its belt elsewhere. And Gallup is the top candidate.