With one game to go in the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys are out of playoff contention are in store for an early holiday and some high degree of soul-searching on defense.
However, that will not stop Jerry Jones and co. from ensuring that they stay in the headlines.
The team decided to release cornerback, Trevon Diggs, on Tuesday – just one game prior to the end of the regular season, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
“The Cowboys have released cornerback Trevon Diggs. He goes through the waiver process and if unclaimed, he will be a free agent.” Archer posted on X.
This release comes at a highly irregular time in the NFL calendar in which teams would normally let players go. It also spells a bad start to the week for multiple members of the Diggs family, after it was announced that his brother, Stefon – wide receiver for the New England Patriots – is reportedly facing assault charges.
Diggs signed a 5 year, $97 million contract back in 2023, but has played in just 21 out of a possible 52 regular season games since.
Why Did The Cowboys Release Trevon Diggs?
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that there was no single, direct reason for Diggs’ release; more it came from multiple factors that lead them to make this decision.
“My understanding is Diggsâ release was not a result of a specific incident.” Pelissero posted on X soon after news broke of Diggs being cut from the team. It was the culmination of multiple factors spread over time, including both performance and other elements. The team felt it was best for both Trevon and the Cowboys to move on at this point.”
There is yet to be any concrete reasons about what made the day before New Year’s Eve the ideal time to release their starting corner, but no doubts reports will start to surface in the coming days.
Cowboys Needed To Release Diggs At Some Point
It was believed over the past few days that Diggs’ release was inevitable. Mike Ginnitti, the managing editor of Spotrac – which monitor sporting contracts and team spending – said on The Spotrac Podcast that the team essentially had no choice but to release their former CB1.
“It just hasnât worked. You can like the kind of player that he isâhe is a takeaway demon when he is healthyâand maybe there a world where he gets back to that form. But Dallas cannot keep him in this contract. They need the cap space, they need the flexibility right now.” Ginnitti said last week on December 23rd.
âThey can free up $12.5 million just to move on in March. Thatâs happening. Thereâs no more guaranteed money on this contract, so expect that to be a quick release and a quick turnover there.â
The motive is clear, and according to Spotrac’s website, the team incur less than a $6 million dead cap hit by releasing him prior to the 2026 season, saving more than $12 million.
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