Cowboys Rumors: Trevon Diggs, Dallas Discussed Contract Extension in 'Recent Weeks'

Having established himself as a key piece of the Dallas Cowboys' secondary over the past three seasons, Trevon Diggs is eligible to sign a long-term extension this offseason.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter on Saturday morning that the Cowboys have had some talks in "recent weeks" with Diggs about a new deal:

"This is a top cornerback in the league, one of the best, 17 interceptions the last three years. I'm told that the Cowboys and Diggs have had like some check-in moments about a potential contract extension over recent weeks this offseason. And so, certainly both sides could be open to that. The market now for cornerbacks at the top, about $21 million per year, so we'll see how close Diggs could get to that in the next few months."

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus recently projected a four-year extension for Diggs worth $81 million total. The $20.25 million average annual salary would rank second among all cornerbacks, behind Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers ($21 million).

A second-round pick out of Alabama in 2020, Diggs was immediately inserted into the starting lineup as a rookie. He had a solid debut year with 14 pass breakups and three interceptions in 12 games.

The 2021 season was a breakout year for Diggs. His 11 interceptions were tied for the 14th-most in a single season in NFL history. It was also the highest single-season total since 1981 (Everson Walls: 11). He was named to the All-Pro first team.

While the high-interception total was impressive for Diggs, he was a boom-or-bust player in coverage. In a January 2022 article from Diante Lee for Pro Football Focus, the 24-year-old allowed more than 1,000 receiving yards in coverage and ranked 90th out of 91 cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps with 10.6 yards allowed per target.

Even though Diggs' 2022 stats weren't as impressive as the previous year, he arguably played better. He still finished with 14 pass breakups and three interceptions in 17 starts.

Diggs limited Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings and Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals to a combined 33 yards on four receptions as the primary defender. He had a six-game stretch from Weeks 5 to 11 allowing just 141 yards on 16 receptions.

The year-over-year improvement for Diggs since he was drafted is a big reason that Dallas' defense has ranked in the top 10 in points allowed per game in each of the past two seasons.

Diggs is set to earn $4.3 million in 2023, the final season of his rookie contract.