The Cowboys are about to finally receive cap relief from releasing WR Michael Gallup.
The Dallas Cowboys will be one of few clubs to receive a significant increase in salary cap space this Sunday, June 2. What could the squad do with this unexpected infusion of cash and where is it coming from?
A long-standing clause in the NFL collective bargaining agreement granted receiver Michael Gallup a June 1st designation when Dallas dismissed him in March. It’s a player-friendly move that lets clubs cut players at any time during the off-season, allowing them to enter the free agency market when there are still lots of spots available and teams with cap room to work with. Previously, their former team’s only gain from keeping the player on the roster until after June 1st was deferring some of their dead money hit until the next offseason.
Sometimes people forget that when clubs use this clause, even after a player leaves their roster and may sign elsewhere, they are still responsible for paying the player’s entire salary cap hit through June 1st. Gallup’s contract is still counting against the Cowboys’ cap even after he was cut on March 15 and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on April 30. After Dak Prescott, DeMarcus Lawrence, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, and Trevon Diggs, that is presently the sixth-highest sum for a single player in Dallas.
However, there will be cap relief of $9.5 million this Sunday. Even though Gallup will still owe $8.7 million in 2025 and $4.35 million against the limit in 2024, it seemed logical to break ways with him considering his offensive role and deteriorating performance. Given Dallas’ current circumstances—it had just around $2–3 million in cap space before June 2nd—and its increased ability to absorb and handle the larger hit next year, spreading the dead money over two years made sense as well.
Given this $9.5 million, what could the Cowboys do with it? In 2024, we would love to see them add a few more components to aid, since this would help them get more money. Maybe they finally let go of veterans like WR Hunter Renfrow and much-discussed DT Linval Joseph. Or, if it’s even still a possibility, it might get Dallas one step closer to re-signing CB Stephon Gilmore. They might also attempt to outpace the market by extending DT Osa Odighizuwa or LB Micah Parsons as soon as possible, which would necessitate more cap money.
QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb are the two players that are unaffected by it. Both contracts are currently highly discussed, and Lamb has even distanced himself from the team in order to pursue a long-term agreement. However, any contract extension will actually lower the players’ current cap hits—$18 million for Lamb and $55 million for Prescott—than they are now. The Cowboys only need to agree on the correct price to close those deals—they don’t need cap space.
Many of you are undoubtedly skeptical that the Cowboys would do anything major with this forthcoming cap space after an exasperatingly quiet offseason thus far. However, the money that is now available as a result of Gallup’s release does provide Dallas some breathing room that it did not have in 2024. The Cowboys might give us something fresh to discuss in the coming days, with a number of interesting veterans still seeking employment and possibly more if other players are cut this week.
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