Dak Prescott: Faith in WR Michael Gallup, Who Must 'Take It Up a Notch' for Cowboys

FRISCO - Michael Gallup gets it.

He offered great benefits and reaped fine rewards while serving for four seasons as the Dallas Cowboys' No. 3 wide receiver. But this is ... different.

“When I get back out there, I got to take it up a notch,'' Gallup said on Thursday, his first comments after signing a new contract of five-year deal with a reported max value of $62.5 million. "They’ve put all their faith in me, so I need to put all my work into this team.

"I’ve got to be a leader ... and let them know that they can count on me.”

That new salary isn't exactly "No. 1. receiver'' money; that number is more like $20 million APY, the sort of salary being paid to Amari Cooper now that he's been traded to the Cleveland Browns. And Gallup isn't going to be asked to be a No. 1 once he rehabs from the surgery that repaired his ACL tear.

That rehab, by the way, looms large in many ways.

The Cowboys have medical confidence that Gallup will recover fully. But reports that he'll be back in July following the Feb. 10 procedure are not based in medical realities.

And Gallup knows it. As CowboysSI.com has reported, readiness in September is far more likely than readiness for the start of training camp in Oxnard.

Playing in Week 1,'' Gallup said, is "definitely a goal; you don't want to miss games. But you still can't put a timetable on it. ...You've got to make sure you're right.''

Gallup, 26, was never quite right in 2021, as he was limited to nine games, totaling 35 catches for 445 yards and two touchdowns. But here inside The Star, he is highly-thought-of as a person and as a player. And no less a locker-room authority than QB Dak Prescott has been supportive of the idea of bringing him back to play alongside CeeDee Lamb.

"I ain’t going to lie to you: Dak knew I was going to be here for long haul," said Gallup, who noted that Prescott sought him out in the trainers room to congratulate him on the deal. "That man’s had faith in me since Day 1. He wanted me to be here."

Gallup did note that he'll miss Cooper.

"I love Amari Cooper,'' he said. :He taught me so many things coming down here to the Cowboys and being a role model for all of us young boys. I obviously wish him the best - a great player, great friend."

Gallup has stats on his side: He is one of only two Cowboys receivers in franchise history to record 65-plus catches, 1,000-plus yards and five TDs in a single season at age 23 or younger - and the other is Lamb.

He also has Dak on his side. So now all he needs is a little time on his side.

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