There is still a week left before the Dallas Cowboys officially pack their bags, miss the postseason, and turn the page toward the offseason. Yet roster decisions are already coming fast. The Cowboys released Trevon Diggs just hours before the New Year and only days ahead of the regular-season finale against the New York Giants.

“Trevon Diggs just called me to tell me the #Cowboys have released him,” NFL Network’s Jane Slater wrote on X. “While he says he will miss his time in Dallas, he assures me he is healthy and motivated as he looks to join another team looking for another piece to add this postseason.”

The 27-year-old will be subject to the NFL waiver wire over the next 24 hours. If he goes unclaimed, he will be free to sign with any NFL team.

What remains unclear is where Trevon Diggs could land next, whether it’s in the AFC, the NFC, or nowhere at all for the postseason. That part is still up in the air despite the cornerback’s optimism. What is clear, though, is that the Cowboys have officially moved on from their cornerback just two years after handing him a $97 million extension.

Any team that claims Diggs would owe him $472,000 for Week 18, with an additional $58,823 if he’s active, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

For the season, Diggs has been playing on an $8.5 million base salary while carrying a cap hit north of $12 million in Dallas.

Looking ahead, Diggs is scheduled to earn $14.5 million in 2026, followed by $19.5 million in 2027 and $20 million in 2028. However, none of those years is guaranteed. This is exactly why this contract structure is the key for the teams. It means any team that claims him wouldn’t be responsible for the roughly $55 million Diggs was set to make over the next three seasons had he remained with the Cowboys.

And given the size of that payday, it makes one wonder: Why did Dallas decide to move on from Diggs in the first place?

NFL insider reveals why the Cowboys released Trevon Diggs

Trevon Diggs spent most of the 2025 season sidelined. The cornerback did return later and suited up for the last couple of games, but that comeback didn’t change what came next. With Dallas moving on from him, NFL insider Tom Pelissero shed light on the reasoning behind the decision.

“My understanding is Diggs’ release was not a result of a specific incident. 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,” the analyst reported.

Performance played a significant role in Dallas cutting ties with Diggs just a little over two years after giving him a major extension. After a solid rookie season, Diggs broke out in Year 2 with 52 combined tackles and 11 interceptions. He followed it with 59 tackles and three more picks the next year. Those two seasons earned him a long-term deal. But things unraveled soon after.

Diggs appeared in just two games in the 2023 season before tearing his ACL in practice ahead of Week 3. Before the injury, he had already recorded an interception and three pass breakups. Diggs later returned for the 2024 season opener, but he struggled to regain form, grading poorly upon his return, according to Pro Football Focus.

It is worth noting that the team was unhappy with how the player rehabbed during injury. They even enforced a $500,000 base salary de-escalator for 2025 when he failed to take part in 84% of the team’s voluntary offseason program. He did his rehab in South Florida instead of the team’s athletic training staff.

Fast forward to this season, and it brought more setbacks. Diggs missed six games due to a concussion and didn’t return until Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers. By then, Dallas was already out of the playoff race. And after the Christmas Day win over the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys officially parted ways with their cornerback. Now, whether Diggs finds a new team and a chance to play in the postseason remains to be seen.