American Football

Cowboys Trevon Diggs could be the highest paid corner in the NFL soon

on

Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

With a potential contract extension looming for the Dallas Cowboys star cornerback, Diggs should be expecting a big payday.

One of the biggest playmakers on the Dallas Cowboys is heading into his final year of his rookie contract in 2023. Cornerback Trevon Diggs, who was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, does not have a fifth-round option on his deal like WR CeeDee Lamb, who was the team’s first-round pick that year.

Stephen Jones previously expressed his desire to bring back both Lamb and Diggs long-term on 105.3 The Fan.

“We’ve historically signed a lot of guys during that training camp period to extensions. But guys like CeeDee Lamb and Diggs are certainly on our radar in terms of guys that we’d love to have around here for another five, six years, whatever that turns out to be.”

Diggs also previously told The Athletic’s Jon Machota that he hopes he can remain a Cowboy for the foreseeable future.

“Hopefully something gets figured out. I love Dallas. I love being here. So, I don’t know. We’ll see.”

Looking at the current contracts among the best corners around the league, it is clear that the Cowboys front office will have to spend big to keep Diggs in Dallas.


Diggs’ impact on the field would justify him wanting to be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, surpassing Green Bay Packers corner Jaire Alexander. His elite ball-hawking traits were on display in the 2021 season when he registered a mind-boggling 11 interceptions. Despite this, some people around the league were critical of his tendency to be too aggressive in coverage, ultimately blowing coverage assignments and allowing big plays down the field.

In 2022, Diggs followed up his historic season with arguably an even more efficient one. Diggs may have only had three interceptions, but he significantly improved in coverage, limiting the big play that often plagued the defense in 2021.

Diggs is just 24 years old, and has a great future ahead of him in the NFL. Being able to play across from All-Pro CB Stephon Gilmore should not only make Diggs even more reliable in coverage this season, but also help him immensely in his development for the future. Diggs gets to have at least one season of mentorship from a former Defensive Player of the Year at his position.

For many years, the Cowboys front office looked at options to be their long-term CB1 on the team. They traded up for standout prospect CB Morris Claiborne in the 2012 NFL draft. They also made former CB Brandon Carr one of the highest paid corners in the league in 2012 when they signed him to a five-year, $50.1 million contract. They got one really impressive season from former CB Byron Jones, but then lost him to the Miami Dolphins who offered him a contract they could not afford to match.

The Cowboys have the opportunity to lock down one of the best defensive players in the NFL to a long-term contract. Diggs has proven to be one of their biggest playmakers in the secondary in just three years in the NFL, and should only improve as he gains more experience. The front office should do what they can to retain him, even if it means making him the highest-paid cornerback across the league. He deserves it.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login