Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones prepares for an NFL game.
The Dallas Cowboys have a plethora of young talent, but that means figuring out who to keep and who to hand new contracts to in the next year or so. If the team decides to stick with corner Trevon Diggs, they’ll have to be ready to pay him a huge contract.
It’s fair to say that Diggs has earned it, becoming one of the more explosive corners in the league for the Cowboys over the past three years. The former Alabama star has received his fair share of criticism as well, but he has yet to play an NFL season and total less than three interceptions.
Now, Pro Football Focus is projecting the 24-year-old to receive a four-year, $81 million contract. While this projected deal won’t make him the highest-paid CB in the NFL, it’s still a sizable deal.
“With all of that said, because of the volatility in Diggs’ play, despite very high highs that could have him asking to reset a market that frankly hasn’t grown since Jalen Ramsey’s 2020 extension, we have him landing in the area of $20 million per year but not above Jaire Alexander at the very top,” the PFF article reads. “Diggs would be smart to push for a four-year deal in this case, instead of the five-year pact Ramsey and several of the other top cornerbacks agreed to, so he can ideally hit the market again before turning 30.”
Diggs Stars in Dallas
Signing a player like Diggs without resetting a positional market would likely make owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ front office happy, but it could be difficult to do so if he has another stellar season in 2023.
Somewhat buoyed by an unreal 2022 campaign, Diggs already has 17 interceptions and 49 passes defended according to Pro Football Reference. That ties him for most INTs since 2020, and the second-most passes defended in that span.
He does give up a lot of production (2247 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns during his three seasons) but impact plays and turnovers are critical to a modern defense’s success. Diggs contributes to that in a major way.
Cowboys CB Duo Considered One of Best in NFL
On a recent episode of ESPN program NFL Live, analyst and former NFL star Ryan Clark ranked the best corner tandems in the league. Clark does not give the top spot to Diggs and new Cowboys CB Stephon Gilmore, but they are in the second slot.
“Stephon Gilmore, former Defensive Player of the Year a guy who can still do it at a high level,” Clark said. “And then you have Trevon Diggs on the other side, who’s absolutely been going crazy.”
Gilmore has 11 years of experience and 127 passes defended over his career, setting up a reliable veteran to work opposite of Diggs. On paper, the combo should be a balance of chaotic playmaking and consistent defending.
For those curious, the No. 1 spot on Clark’s list went to the Miami Dolphins duo of Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey. Like Gilmore, Ramsey was a trade pickup during the 2023 offseason who is now plying his trade for a new team.