Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones responded to star cornerback Trevon Diggs opting to rehab away from the team’s facility this week in an appearance on 105.3 The Fan. Because Diggs rehabbed elsewhere after his offseason knee surgery, the team exercised its right to penalize him and docked his salary by $500,000 – a move that “hurt” the feelings of the star cornerback.

“He certainly paid a price for not being here,” Jones said. “But we’re paying a price, too, because we felt like he’d might be further along had he done his rehab here. He may differ with that. But had he done his rehab here, we feel strongly that he might be further along. That’s in the best interest of the team and the organization that comes with getting a big contract, which he received.”

Diggs signed a five-year, $97 million contract extension in 2023, and part of the deal included a clause stipulating that the team could dock his salary by $500,000 if he missed at least 84% of the Cowboys’ organized team activities in the spring. Diggs elected to rehab from offseason knee surgery in South Florida instead of the Cowboys’ team facility in Frisco, Texas.

Jones said the star cornerback would be “better off” rehabbing in the team facilities than elsewhere.

“I think a player is much better off training with us than he is somewhere else,” Jones said. “I just think the discipline to come in every day, do the work is there when they’re here…. One thing we can do, which is we will continue to do is put in every player’s contract, especially guys that we pay significant amounts of money, we expect leadership, and we expect them to be here. Certainly, we addressed that with Diggs.”

Diggs appeared in 11 games during the 2024 season and finished with 42 total tackles and two interceptions. The former second-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft appeared in just two games during the 2023 campaign, two years removed from recording 11 interceptions during the 2021 season.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs has missed the first two phases of the team’s offseason program while rehabbing from knee surgery.

Diggs could lose $500,000 from his base salary as a result of not participating in the Cowboys’ offseason program.

Diggs had the surgery done in Miami, away from the team. His absence from OTAs and minicamp could result in additional fines for the two-time Pro Bowler. He has to complete 84.375% of the program to keep the $500,000.

Any player who doesn’t show up to minicamp could be fined.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke with Diggs last week and said that “all signs are positive.”

Diggs has struggled with injuries during his time in the NFL. In 2023, he tore his ACL, which sidelined him for most of the season. He has only played 13 over the last two seasons.

Diggs also underwent a chondral tissue graft in January 2025, a procedure in which pieces of bone and cartilage were transplanted to his knee.

The Cowboys dealt with injuries in their defensive backfield last season, including DaRon Bland, who missed 10 games.

If Diggs has a successful rehab, the Cowboys hope their cornerbacks can stay healthy for the duration of the season.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper has been fined $14,650 by the NFL for violating the Covid-19 protocols for the unvaccinated, after he attended a Dallas Mavericks game last week sans mask.

Even before the Mavs game, Cooper was seen on the sideline at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, cheering on his alma mater Alabama against Cincinnati.

The receiver was with vaccinated teammates both times, so CeeDee Lamb won’t catch heat for the Mavs game and Trevon Diggs is safe for attending the Cotton Bowl.

League rules state that unvaccinated players can attend sports events but must sit in a luxury suite with a mask and no more than 10 people.

“You don’t want to get sick,” Cooper said. “This is the tournament. We train so hard in the offseason, OTAs, camp, to get to this point. We accomplished that goal thus far. We’re going to do everything we can do to not get sick. If that means isolation, then that’s what that means. Hopefully, we can isolate enough to not catch it.”

Cooper missed two games earlier this season after testing positive for Covid-19, and the Cowboys lost both (Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders). And, since he’s had COVID, Cooper would not fall in the daily testing protocol through Super Bowl LVI.

The Dallas Cowboys won their tenth game of the season over the New York Giants, but it wasn’t just a good game for the team. Cornerback Trevon Diggs made another step toward history as he snagged his tenth interception of the season.

That’s good for second best in franchise history, tied with Hall of Famer Mel Renfro. Everson Walls is the only Cowboy to haul in more interceptions. He brought in 11 during the 1981 season. With three games left, there’s a good chance that Diggs will be able to match or break the record.

“I’m happy I reached it, but I didn’t know that I was going to reach it,” Diggs said. “It’s just a blessing and I’m truly just happy that I can represent the Star, represent my team and go out there and give it all I’ve got.”

The interception came with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Giants quarterback Mike Glennon dropped back and was met by pressure from Cowboys’ linebacker Micah Parsons. Glennon wasn’t quite able to launch the ball far enough into the end zone to find his target Kenny Golladay and Diggs intercepted the ball. Golladay knocked it out of Diggs’ hands and the initial ruling called it an incomplete pass. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy challenged the call and after review it was ruled that Diggs completed the process of the catch.

Diggs still isn’t satisfied.

“I’ve got to set new goals now,” Diggs said. “I’m going to set another one and see if I can accomplish that. But as long as I do what I do on the field, come to the game, come to work, come ready to play, the sky’s the limit.”