Michael Gallup is indeed done for the season.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapaport reported Monday that an MRI confirmed the Dallas Cowboys receiver suffered a clean ACL tear, per a source informed of the situation. Gallup's season is over.
It's news that the team expected to hear but stings nonetheless.
Gallup suffered the injury in the first half of the Cowboys' home loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday while making a spectacular touchdown grab.
The Cowboys' best deep threat, the sure-handed target was a mismatch on the outside in one-on-ones. Gallup missed a chunk of the season after going on IR due to a calf injury suffered in Week 1 and finishes the 2021 season with 35 catches for 445 yards and two TDs.
It's a brutal end to Gallup's campaign as he heads to free agency. The former third-round pick was set to cash in on the open market as one of the top playmakers available. Now the 25-year-old will be rehabbing as he heads toward March.
We've seen players get paid before after suffering an injury, but it could shave millions of dollars off his potential. Star receiver Allen Robinson was in a similar spot, suffering an ACL injury in the final year of his rookie contract in Jacksonville back in 2017. While ARob signed a three-year, $42 million deal in Chicago following the injury, it was below what he could have commanded if healthy and came with just $18 million guaranteed. Since then, Robinson has been battling to get paid commensurate to his worth.
Hopefully, Gallup has no hiccups in his free agency despite the injury.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones noted Monday that, if possible, Dallas was hoping to keep Gallup in town.
"I know he was looking forward to what free agency was going to bring and hopefully right here in Dallas," Jones said, via Jori Epstein of USA Today. "We know we have our (cap) challenges here, but no one thinks more of Michael Gallup than the Dallas Cowboys, his teammates, the coaching staff, and the organization. Just a class act all the way."
Perhaps, if Gallup is getting low-ball offers due to the knee injury, the Cowboys could find a way to squeeze him under the cap to keep him in Dallas in 2022.
