Report: Dallas Cowboys agree to deal with former Ohio State safety
Malik Hooker is staying in Dallas.
The Cowboys are re-signing Hooker to a two-year, $8 million deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He’s coming off his first year with the team after starting his career with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts drafted Hooker as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft after a standout career at Ohio State. He helped the Buckeyes to a 2014 national championship and earned First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2016 before entering the draft.
Hooker played for Indianapolis from 2017-20, but tore his achilles two games into the 2020 season. He signed with the Cowboys prior to the 2021 season and had a solid bounce-back year in Dallas. He played in 15 games in 2021, including three starts. In that time, he totaled 44 tackles and an interception to help Dallas’ revamped defense become one of the best in the NFL under Dan Quinn.
During his four-year career, Hooker has 168 tackles and eight interceptions to his name.
The Cowboys are coming off a 12-5 season in 2021 that ended with an NFC Wild Card Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Dallas has been working hard already this offseason, releasing wide receiver Amari Cooper before inking a contract to keep Michael Gallup in town for the foreseeable future.
Dallas Cowboys come to terms on huge long-term deal for Michael Gallup
The Dallas Cowboys are all in with a long-term commitment to former third-round draft pick Michael Gallup. The parties agreed to a five-year deal worth $62.4 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Despite battling multiple injuries this season, Gallup’s body of work prior to the 2021 season was enough to secure him the big deal he was looking for.
Gallup suffered two major injuries during the 2021 season, most recently tearing his ACL on Jan. 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. In the season opener against the Tampa Buccaneers, Gallup suffered a calf injury that held him out for the majority of the season. He only appeared in nine games this year for the Cowboys.
In the nine games he did play in, Gallup totaled 35 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns. In 2019, he posted the first 1,000-yard+ season of his NFL career.
The five-year deal is a significant increase from the former Colorado State star’s rookie deal. He originally signed a four-year, $3.5 million deal. He’ll now make more than $10 million a year, which puts him amongst the top 30 highest paid NFL wide receivers.