Waived by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, cornerback Trevon Diggs is headed for the NFL playoffs. The Cowboys’ season will end on Sunday.
The Green Bay Packers had the winning claim for the former Alabama defensive back and were awarded Diggs by the NFL on Wednesday.
The Packers hold the 21st selection in the waiver order this week, which means at least 20 teams passed on picking up the two-time Pro Bowler.
After concluding its regular season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Green Bay will participate in the NFC playoffs as a wild-card qualifier.
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At his Wednesday press conference, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer discussed Diggs’ departure with one week left in the regular season and three seasons remaining on the cornerback’s contract.
“It was really an accumulation of multiple factors — performance, other elements,” Schottenheimer said.
Schottenheimer acknowledged Diggs had violated team rules by not flying back with his teammates from Thursday’s 30-23 victory over the Washington Commanders. Diggs wanted to remain in the area because he has family in the area. Told he could not, Diggs stayed anyway.
“It was one of many factors; it was not the only factor,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m not the Grinch that stole Christmas, OK? I love Christmas. I love my family. But at the end of the day, we got a protocol we go through, and the process was not followed.
“The first time I heard about it, Trevon grabbed me after the game, and I’m celebrating a big win and I explained to him the protocol, which it’s always been the protocol of we go up as a team, we come back as a team. He decided to make a different decision. …
“I want to make this very clear. That was not the only reason that this happened. This happened for multiple factors — performance and other elements over the course of time.”
By claiming Diggs off the waiver wire, Green Bay assumes his contract. Diggs has three years remaining on a five-year, $97 million contract extension, but all the guaranteed money has been paid. The contract calls for Diggs to be paid $14.5 million in 2026, $19.5 million in 2027 and $20 million in 2028.
The Packers also will owe Diggs $472,222 for Week 18 of the season and $58,823 if he’s on the game-day roster on Sunday.
A second-round draft pick by Dallas in 2020, Diggs was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2021 when he led the NFL with 11 interceptions. He earned Pro Bowl recognition again in 2022 before injuries affected his next three seasons.
Diggs played in only the first two games of the 2023 season before a torn anterior cruciate ligament caused him to miss the rest of the campaign.
Diggs missed six games last season with a knee injury and had chondral bone graft surgery in January. Diggs played 329 defensive snaps in Dallas’ first six games in 2025 even though rehabilitation from the knee injury kept him on the physically-unable-to-perform list until Aug. 24.
But Diggs missed eight straight games because of a concussion suffered in a home accident and knee soreness before returning to the field on Dec. 21 in a 34-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and he played every defensive snap against Washington on Thursday.