Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on Trevon Diggs’ $500K salary reduction: ‘We’re paying a price, too’ - Grant Gordon, NFL.com
Stephen Jones doubled down on the criticism of Trevon Diggs working out this offseason outside of the team facility.
The two-time Pro Bowler was surprised by the enforcement of the clause, but Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones explained Tuesday that the team believes Diggs would be closer to returning had he rehabbed with the club.
“He certainly paid a price for not being here,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota, ”but we’re paying a price, too, because we felt like
ADhe 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 is currently on the physically unable to perform list and his status for the beginning of the season is unknown. He rehabbed in Miami, far from where Jones believes he should’ve been traveling on his road to recovery.
“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 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.”
As Jones referred to, the Cowboys also addressed paying Diggs, signing him to a five-year, $97 million extension just over two years ago.
Carson to miss time with injury, Cowboys sign Christian Matthew - Staff writers, DallasCowboys.com
The Dallas Cowboys were already dealing with injuries to the cornerback position. Caelen Carson is the next player to go down for an extended period of time.
The second-year cornerback suffered a hyperextended knee in padded practice on Monday, and could miss upwards of the next two months. The timing of the injury, similarly to Guyton’s, does give him a chance at being available for the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, however, barring a setback.
That said, Carson will miss valuable time in camp and throughout the entire preseason, and at a position the Cowboys can ill afford to lose bodies.
Trevon Diggs and Josh Butler are currently on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, and rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel is working his way from the NFI (non-football injury) list, making the loss of Carson for the remainder of camp a much bigger issue.
To try and resolve that issue, the Cowboys worked out and eventually signed Christian Matthew, a former seventh-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals out of Valdosta State (2022) who earned First-team All-GSC honors in 2021. Matthew isn’t completely unfamiliar to some of the Cowboys’ staff, considering he had a short stay with the Chicago Bears during the Matt Eberflus era before going on to suit up for the Ravens.
As such, he and Eberflus will be reunited in Oxnard.
They had an impromptu and unofficial talk with Stephon Gilmore this offseason, but there is currently nothing brewing and/or imminent with the former Defensive Player of the Year.
For Carson, the mission is simple: get healthy and hopefully stay that way. Having suffered a season-ending shoulder surgery that derailed his rookie season, the Cowboys are expecting to see a step forward from him in Year 2 — depth at cornerback being a major concern in Dallas, particularly considering Andrew Booth also exited practice on Monday for an issue that is unknown at this time.
Cowboys contract priority rankings: After Micah Parsons, who should be up next to get paid? - Garrett Podell, CBS Sports
If and when the front office closes the deal with Micah Parsons, here is a list of who could be next.
5. K Brandon Aubrey
Current contract status: Entering final year of current deal in 2025 with a salary of $1.03 million
Extension projection: 4 years, $27 million
Sentimentally, many Cowboys fans would rank kicker Brandon Aubrey, a two-time All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowler in both of his NFL seasons, higher on this list. He rewrote NFL record books in his first year in the league in 2023 thanks to making his first 35 field goals in a row. That shattered the record for most made field goals in a row to begin a career, and he ended up just three made field goals short of breaking the league’s all-time record for most made field goals in a row (37 by former Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt in 2003). Aubrey ended 2023 as the NFL’s season leader in made field goals, converting on 36 of his 38 attempts, which earned him All-Pro honors.
4. WR George Pickens
Current contract status: Entering final year of rookie deal in 2025 with a salary of $3.656 million
Extension projection: 3 years, $58 million
Jerry Jones re-signing wide receiver George Pickens before the 2025 season begins is probably the most unlikely of these five contracts to get done in this time frame. That’s because Jones acquired Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade in May, meaning he’s never seen him suit up in a real game for Dallas.
However, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be prudent. Pickens comes over from an offense that struggled to find any consistency at quarterback the 24-year-old’s entire NFL career, and now the explosive deep threat gets to line up across from an All-Pro in Lamb and catch passes from the 2023 NFL MVP runner-up. Despite being Pittsburgh’s clear-cut No. 1 option among a sea of misfit toys over the years, Pickens averaged an NFL-best 16.7 yards per reception across the last two seasons, a figure that leads the entire NFL among 61 players with at least 110 catches since 2023.
Cowboys announce training camp practices at The Star for return to Texas - Josh Sanchez, Cowboys on SI
When the Cowboys return to the Star, fans will be able to watch their favorite players.
The Dallas Cowboys are just over a week into training camp in Oxnard, California, and the start of the NFL preseason is right around the corner.
Dallas opens its preseason schedule on Saturday, August 9, at SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Rams. The two teams will participate in a joint practice before their Saturday showdown.
Dallas then returns to Texas for its final two preseason games: Saturday, August 16, against the Baltimore Ravens and Friday, August 22, against the Atlanta Falcons.
Prior to the team’s preseason finale against the Falcons, the team will hold two open practices at The Star in Frisco, along with some festivities for the fans.
Tuesday, August 19, the Cowboys will host an Opening Ceremony for the Texas leg of training camp, complete with a live DJ, Rowdy the mascot, interactive games, giveaways, and more.
Cowboys training camp schedule for when the team returns to Texas pic.twitter.com/FIgnWDcPoe
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 29, 2025
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