The brass for the Dallas Cowboys held their annual state of the union press conference to begin training camp on Monday, and there was no shortage of fireworks. No other team in the league opens camp like the Cowboys, with Jerry and Stephen Jones rumbling on about the season to come, and of course, talking contracts. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer didn’t speak until eight minutes into the session as the Joneses held center stage.
In 2025, most of the questions were about a pending deal for All-Pro pass pusher Micah Parsons, and many observers felt like the front office took a few shots at their best player during the question-and-answer session. However, it was cornerback Trevon Diggs who took the real heat from the Joneses.
Diggs caught the ire of the front office by choosing to rehab in Florida, away from the team and its doctors, something that clearly didn’t sit with the Cowboys’ brass. Recently the organization decided to reduce Diggs’ salary for not participating enough in the offseason program with the team, costing him $500,000, and unprompted, Jerry Jones pointed that fact out while being asked about a Parsons potential deal. Shortly after, Stephen Jones chimed in as well.
The Cowboys had the de-escalator in the contract, but didn’t need to use it, yet they haven’t shied away from letting everyone know they were enforcing it against Diggs. It’s one thing to have it reported last week the team would be reducing Diggs’ salary but hammering the point home in one of the first comments out of the owner when being asked about a different player is on another level of frustration.
There aren’t many owners, or general managers, who would drive the bus over one of their best players, but the Cowboys aren’t like anyone else. And the assault on Diggs didn’t stop there.
When Jones continued to be pressed about why the Cowboys haven’t gotten a deal with Parsons done earlier, it led them to express some regret about getting an extension done with Diggs (and right tackle Terence Steele) early, and it not working out.
It’s wild to think they made a mistake in signing a young, ascending player coming off an All-Pro season. This is what good organizations across the league do, yet the Cowboys seem to regret being proactive.
While it hasn’t worked out how the Cowboys had hoped after signing Diggs to a long-term deal, injuries have played a big role. The All-Pro CB suffered a torn ACL early in the 2023 season, which was followed up by another serious knee injury last year. Some of that is bad luck, but the team also didn’t feel like Diggs attacked his rehab with enough vigor, which may have played a part in the second knee injury.
That accusation was the first shot across the bow at Diggs, which may have prompted the CB to launch a YouTube series about his comeback efforts leading up to the 2025 season. Perhaps that response is something the Joneses don’t appreciate.
On the eve of the 2025 season, it looks like there’s a fractured relationship between Diggs and the organization; that much was evident in yesterday’s dog and pony show. So while many wanted to harp on the so-called “shot” at Parsons, Diggs was the actual player taking the fire.
The upcoming season is a big one for Diggs and the organization, and it’s not off to a great start. Diggs will begin training camp on the PUP list and the expectation is he won’t be ready for the early part of the regular season. When he does see the field and how he performs will dictate if Diggs will be in Dallas past this year; those odds don’t look good right now.
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