Most of what follows was first written in an article several weeks ago, identifying how 2025 was another lost season thanks to the weaknesses of owner Jerry Jones. It has been updated to take into account what has happened since then.
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While the football world and Cowboys Nation were focused on the negotiation and suspension of Micah Parsons’ contract earlier in the summer, the team heading west to Oxnard, CA for training camp presented a new showdown to the public. A section of the fan base had certainly begun to grow tired of not having star cornerback Trevon Diggs at the coaches’ disposal after he signed a big contract in 2023. Diggs, who had more interceptions than any player in 30 years when he caught 11 picks in 2021, was a boom-or-bust cornerback. He gambled, relying on his crazy ball skills, but also allowing big plays to opposing receivers on a fairly regular basis. He was the living embodiment of the argument about whether it was better to have a turnover machine or a good coverage without turnovers. Some felt he played better in 2022, even though his INT total fell from 11 to 3.
The way he started 2023 as a true lockdown corner through the first two weeks was quickly overshadowed by a torn ACL in a Week 3 practice. He had only allowed two receptions for just 26 yards with one INT and another PBU, without missing a single tackle. It seemed like Diggs had it all together after receiving a $97 million contract extension.
Apparently, Diggs pissed off a lot of people at The Star in Frisco during his rehab. The Cowboys front office has a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon in Dr. Daniel Cooper, and while it is not reported who performed the initial surgery, the front office has made it known that they do not feel Diggs followed the team’s instructions on how he worked during his rehab. about his indifferent anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation. Jones talked about being sorry for paying Diggs for what they did without seeing him do the leadership things they wanted from him.
It was all a bit jarring for fans, who had never heard Jones single out a player like that. He was publicly talking about withholding half a million dollars from Diggs for not being at team practices and putting him in the spotlight.
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Of course, Diggs and Parsons are best friends, and with Parsons’ resistance and all the backstory that was finally revealed about how long he and the team had been at odds, it became difficult to disassociate Parsons and Diggs’ friendship from how the front office was dealing with Diggs.
At the same time, it is difficult to imagine that the players do not at least exchange thoughts about their discontent with their employer. Both are human nature and happen every day in the world of people who don’t make $100,000 a year at their job. There is no reason to think that being millionaires and billionaires eliminates this dynamic. Diggs’ questionable rehabilitation led to speculation that he would not return to the team until November. And maybe he shouldn’t have, but somehow he was ready to start Week 1. Was it public pressure from the organization that cajoled him into returning early? Perhaps an off-season interview will shed light.
But Diggs struggled mightily in 2025. He allowed a pair of touchdowns against the New York Giants in Week 2 and another in Week 3 against the Bears. He played through the first six games of the season and then suffered a concussion in the run-up to Week 7, via a mysterious encounter, at the time, at Diggs’ house. Shortly after that lost game, he was moved to IR, but his knee was the reason to shut him down for the next four games.
Once he was able to return to the practice field, the activation call never came despite the team’s continued struggles in the secondary. It appears that Diggs, a man coverage cornerback, is not on board with embattled defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ perennially failing zone scheme.
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Head coach Brian Schottenheimer refused to give up on what he wants to see from Diggs on the practice field, seeking full acceptance from the sixth-year cornerback. Diggs claimed to be ready in Week 14, but the Cowboys left him inactive while the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings abused Dallas’ secondary in two straight losses that ended the club’s playoff chances. The coach had laid down the law, causing frustration for everyone involved.
That was until the Cowboys lost DaRon Bland to another foot injury, ending their season with three games left. Suddenly, Diggs was doing enough of what the coach needed to see and is ready to play in Week 16. Suddenly he has a chance to add positive play and buy-in, heading into an offseason in which it looked like for the last two months they would see him traded or released in early March.
But Diggs continued to fight like he did earlier in the year. He started both games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders, but didn’t do much to help Dallas’ porous secondary. And now, ahead of the team’s Week 18 season finale in New York against the Giants, he has been waived and made available to any of the other 31 teams to claim his contract.
There are disgruntled players all over the league. High salaries don’t solve all problems and the Cowboys are not immune to these situations where the front office or coaching staff gets tired of one of their players. But considering Jones’ track record throughout his decisions in 2025, it’s impossible not to put some of this on him and his methods.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Summary of how the relationship between the Cowboys and Trevon Diggs soured to the point of divorce.