Cowboys $97 million two-time Pro Bowler could miss chunk of 2025 season

Jul 27, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; A Dallas Cowboys helmet with Oakley visor at training camp at Marriott Residence Inn-River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One of the biggest issues that plagued the Dallas Cowboys last season was their inability to stay healthy. Some of the team’s biggest stars, from Dak Prescott to Micah Parsons to Trevon Diggs, missed multiple games due to injuries.

The Cowboys hope to experience a better fate in 2025, but the season could once again get off to a rough start due to one of their biggest stars being expected to be missing from action. 

Diggs, who missed six games last season after suffering a season-ending injury, finally had left knee surgery this past week. Yet, as Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports, this surgery is  “more complex” than the one Diggs underwent for a previous ACL tear.

His recovery time likely means Diggs won’t be available for the start of next season. He may even miss a large chunk of the season for the second year in a row. 

"It’s called a chondral tissue graft that replaces damaged cartilage in joints with tissues," Watkins wrote. "Diggs, who played in 11 games during the 2024 season, is expected to miss significant time, raising questions about his availability to start the 2025 season."

Diggs signed a five-year, $97 million extension with the Cowboys in 2023. He's played in just 13 of their 35 games since receiving a massive pay raise. 

Getting their two-time Pro Bowl cornerback on the field could provide a big boost for a defense that allowed the second-most points in the NFL last season. Yet, whoever’s coaching the defense may need to spend time practicing patience too, much like Cowboys fans had to do when last season spiraled out of control.

More NFL News: Cowboys linked to projected $13 million four-time Pro Bowler on ‘short-term contract’