The Cowboys waived cornerback Trevon Diggs on Tuesday. The only surprise was when his release came.
It was expected to happen after the season, not with a week to go in the season.
“It was a culmination of multiple factors,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday, via Tommy Yarrish of the team website. “Performance, other elements. He’s been an incredible player for this organization, and I really do, I truly do like Trevon a lot. I wish him nothing but the best, and I’m excited to see where he lands and watch him continue his career.”
The Cowboys signed Diggs to a five-year, $97 million extension in 2023, but he played only 21 games since the start of the 2023 season because of knee injuries. The left knee eventually required a chondral graft in January.
The Cowboys weren’t happy that Diggs didn’t rehab at the team facility and enforced a $500,000 base salary de-escalator for 2025.
Before Week 7, Diggs was diagnosed with a concussion in an at-home accident that he later said came when he was attempting to install a television mount.
The final straw came after the win over the Commanders on Christmas Day when Diggs skipped the flight back to Dallas, according to multiple reports.
“It was one of many factors, it was not the only factor,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m not the Grinch that stole Christmas. I love Christmas. I love my family. But at the end of the day, we have a protocol that we go through, and the process was not followed.”
After the game, Diggs, who is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, asked for permission to stay behind to be with his family in the D.C. area. Schottenheimer denied the request, saying it is protocol to fly back with the team unless it’s “a family emergency or something specific.”
Other players had the same request as Diggs did, and they were denied, too, Schottenheimer said.
Everyone except Diggs flew home with the team before their mini-bye week.
“First time I heard about it, Trevon grabbed me after the game,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m celebrating a big win, and I explained to him the protocol, which has always been the protocol, we go up as a team, we come back as a team. And he decided to make a decision. I’ll say this: It was not the only reason that this decision was made.”
Diggs made first-team All-Pro in 2021 when he led the league with 11 interceptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He made his second Pro Bowl in 2022, when he intercepted three passes. He has only three interceptions in the three seasons since.
