As the Lions survey the free agent market for wide receivers, Michael Gallup has been projected to land in the Motor City.
In deep 2022 free agent class of wide receivers, Michael Gallup is an interesting name. In the right light, the Detroit Lions should certainly be interested.
Gallup suffered a torn ACL in Week 17 this past season. Earlier in the season, he missed extended time for the Cowboys with a calf injury. Prior to the 2021 season, his production made him one of the most underrated receivers in the league.
Gallup’s injury, especially being as late it was, is lined up to impact the contract he gets in free agency. But ACL tears are also not a career death knell, and Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reported Gallup is expected to be 100 percent by August.
Free-agent wide receiver Michael Gallup is recovering well from knee surgery after tearing his ACL in early January, per source. The current expectation is he'll be 100% by August.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) February 17, 2022
NFL Free Agency: Michael Gallup to the Lions?
Arjun Menon of Pro Football Focus has updated the landing spots for the site’s top-50 free agents. He projected Gallup, No. 28 on the list even coming off the late injury, to land with the Lions.
"Gallup joins Godwin and Beckham Jr. as receivers who tore their ACL entering free agency, and it’s tough to really evaluate how teams will view him,” “The Lions make the most sense for Gallup because he can be their WR1 when he returns, but since they most likely won’t be competitive in 2022, he won’t be pressured to produce like an alpha receiver right away.”"
Menon projects a two-year, $25 million deal for Gallup, with $14 million guaranteed.
In 2019, Gallup had his best statistical year with 66 receptions for 1,107 yards and six scores. In 2020, after Dallas added CeeDee Lamb in the first round of the draft, Gallup still topped 100 targets (105) and led the team in yards per catch by a good margin (14.3). The Cowboys may have re-signing Gallup high on their list of priorities, according to SI.com’s Mike Fisher, with the added layer of Amari Cooper’s future with the team being up in the air.
Many wide receivers have been linked to the Lions already this offseason. Gallup may be the most intriguing one though, and even with multiple suitors in the mix he may now come at a bit of an injury discount. Lions general manager Brad Holmes may choose the route that will make Gallup the proverbial WR1 in Detroit.