The Dallas Cowboys made a stunning move just days before the end of their disappointing 2025 season, waiving cornerback Trevon Diggs in what appears to be an abrupt end to a once-promising partnership.
Diggs, a former All-Pro who signed a massive $97 million extension with the team in 2023, will now go through the NFL’s waiver process. If unclaimed, he’ll become a free agent able to sign with any team, ESPN’s Todd Archer confirmed.
A Sudden Departure
The timing of the move has raised eyebrows across the league. With just one game remaining in the season, Dallas opted to cut ties with a player they had previously viewed as a cornerstone of their defense.
“The Cowboys have waived CB Trevon Diggs,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote on social media. “Any team claiming Trevon Diggs would be responsible for his remaining $472,222 guaranteed game check this season. That makes it likely he clears waivers and then will become a free agent.”
What led to this dramatic split? According to Pelissero, it wasn’t one specific incident but rather “the culmination of multiple factors spread over time, including both performance and other elements.” The team reportedly felt it was best for both parties to move on.
Financial Implications
Any team claiming Diggs would take on not just his Week 18 salary but would inherit a contract with significant future implications. The cornerback’s deal includes three more years with a hefty $14.5 million due in 2026 and a cap hit exceeding $18.44 million, though it contains no remaining guaranteed money, as noted by NBC Sports.
This financial structure makes it likely Diggs will clear waivers. If claimed, the team would owe him $472,000 in base salary plus a $58,823 bonus for the final week, according to ESPN.
The Cowboys’ willingness to absorb a significant cap hit by releasing Diggs speaks volumes about how the relationship had deteriorated.
Injury-Plagued Season
Diggs’ 2025 campaign has been marred by health issues. He appeared in just eight games, recording 25 tackles while missing eight others due to concussion protocols and a knee injury.
This follows another shortened season in 2024 when he suffered a torn ACL in practice early in the year. That injury came just weeks after the Cowboys had committed to him with the massive contract extension.
Frustrating as it might be, injuries alone typically don’t lead to such an abrupt release of a talented player. The Cowboys’ official statement was notably brief, simply confirming Diggs had been waived “ahead of the 2025 finale.”
What’s Next?
For Diggs, the future now holds significant uncertainty. At 28, he still has potentially productive years ahead, but his injury history and the circumstances of his release will likely impact his market value.
Teams in need of secondary help might view him as a high-upside addition at a discount price. That said, any interested suitor will have to weigh the potential reward against whatever behind-the-scenes issues contributed to his departure from Dallas.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, will move forward with a reconfigured secondary and approximately $13.9 million in dead cap for 2026 — a steep price to pay for a player who won’t be on their roster, but apparently one they felt necessary as they close out a season that has fallen well short of expectations.
In the end, what began with such promise in 2020 when Dallas selected Diggs in the second round — and peaked with his league-leading 11 interceptions in 2021 — concludes with a quiet midweek waiver transaction that few saw coming just days before the season’s end.
