Amari Cooper was first to reach out to Michael Gallup after Cowboys deal

The Dallas Cowboys had huge depth in the wide receiver corps in 2021. Heading into the 2022 season, that depth chart will look a lot different. Dak Prescott’s go-to target Amari Cooper is headed to the Cleveland Browns and standout WR4 Cedrick Wilson is headed to the Miami Dolphins. Shortly after the Cooper trade was announced, the Cowboys revealed that they were signing WR Michael Gallup to a five-year, $62.5 million extension.

On Thursday, Gallup spoke to reporters about his new contract and where he is at with his injury recovery. The receiver said he is working as hard as he can to be ready to play for Week 1. He also mentioned that he feels incredibly blessed to be back with Dallas. Gallup said he was “super excited” and that he always wanted to return to the team.

But something else really stood out in his interview. The Colorado State product said that now-former teammate, Cooper, was the first to reach out to him when his new deal with the Cowboys was announced. This sweet gesture shows clear mutual respect between the two receivers. Gallup said that the new Browns receiver is a “lifelong friend,” was “his best friend on the team,” and that he hopes Cooper “keeps prospering.”

It will certainly be sad to see the Cowboys infamous WR Trio separated next year. The Cowboys now have CeeDee Lamb and Gallup leading the charge. They re-signed Noah Brown, but certainly need to figure out another strong option for a WR3 with Cooper gone.

Michael Gallup revealed that Amari Cooper was the first to reach out to him after signing an extension with the Cowboys

Cooper and Gallup spent four years together in Dallas, but the team ultimately chose Gallup despite his season-ending ACL injury. Gallup brings incredible vertical ability and is a downfield threat. He will likely be highly targeted in high-pressure situations. While Cooper and Gallup both brought a lot to the roster, Gallup was only one of two Cowboys whose targets in the last two years have not led to a single interception. The other is Tony Pollard. Keep in mind that the receiver had 84 more targets than the running back.

But the receiver knows he’s learned a lot from his former teammate. Here is what he had to say about Cooper:

"“I love Amari Cooper. 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: great player, great friend.”"

Hopefully, Gallup can step up and impress his role model in 2022.