Cowboys 2025 offseason vibes: Micah Parsons' contract, Trevon Diggs in the doghouse and more

New York Times

4 days ago

In the words of Jerry Jones himself, courtesy of a Netflix docuseries scheduled to drop next month, the Dallas Cowboys are 'a soap opera 365 days a year.' The 2025 offseason in Dallas is no exception. From the outset, the Cowboys attracted scrutiny for the way they handled making a decision at head coach. After the first training camp practice in Oxnard, Calif., on Tuesday, two of the team's biggest names — Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs — held a joint media session in which they expressed frustration and disappointment with team ownership.
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It's no secret that Diggs has fallen out of favor with numerous people at the top of the organization. This goes back to last season when then-defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was visibly unhappy with Diggs, particularly with the cornerback's reluctance to get physical against the run. When Diggs was finally shut down for the season late in 2024, members of the coaching staff and front office expressed disappointment in the way Diggs had approached his rehab from a torn ACL suffered early in the 2023 season.
The front office's frustration became apparent when Jones ended his post-draft news conference with a backhanded compliment to Diggs.
'If he has not worked as hard, he is more subject to injury,' Jones said. 'He's learned that one time.'
Diggs, apparently, didn't get the message. He released behind-the-scenes video content of the 2023 rehab that Jones was critical of, and went on to have a stretch of absences from the team's offseason workouts at The Star in Frisco, Texas, opting to work on his rehab in Florida with his own team. The Cowboys not only fined him (per the terms of his contract), but also made it clear in the team's State of the Union news conference Monday to start training camp that Diggs' decision was disappointing and a sign of faulty leadership.
Jerry Jones on Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs losing money from his base salary for not rehabbing enough at the team facility this offseason: 'He didn't earn it. He didn't come. That's in his contract. … Bottom line is those are contractual things.' pic.twitter.com/SREMrX17xy
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 21, 2025
'We expect a player paid like Trevon to be here all the time,' Jones said Monday. 'We expect him to be leading — expect him to be leading — but that's not new.'
Stephen Jones added: 'He understood when he decided he was going to train in South Florida, he understood what the consequences would be.'
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During the same news conference, Jones openly pondered whether giving Diggs — and right tackle Terence Steele — a contract extension in 2023 was the right decision.
On Tuesday, Diggs was asked specifically about the fines for missing parts of the offseason workouts.
'I didn't expect that,' Diggs said. 'That kind of hurt my feelings. But it's OK. Hopefully I'll make it back in incentives.'
While Diggs' reasoning was that he felt rehabbing away from the facility was the best approach for his recovery, the Cowboys clearly don't trust Diggs' instincts in that regard. Additionally, they felt Diggs' decision didn't take into account the other aspects, such as leadership, which carry more weight for a player who holds the fifth-highest cap hit on the roster.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs on being docked pay for not working out enough at The Star in the offseason: "I didn't expect that. It kind of hurt my feelings. It's OK, though, hopefully I make it back in incentives."
Diggs said there is no target date for his return. He said he's… pic.twitter.com/5UjeTtHd6f
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 22, 2025
This situation began on the opposite end of the vibes spectrum. Toward the end of the 2024 season, Parsons publicly said he didn't need to set the market for non-quarterback contracts. In a rare occurrence, Jones gave Parsons his direct line, and the two even shared a suite to watch a College Football Playoff game together at AT&T Stadium.
However, things have progressively soured. At the owners' meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., Jones claimed to not even know the name of Parsons' well-respected agent, David Mulugheta. Parsons immediately shot back a tweet in Mulugheta's defense.
In contract situations, the frustrations are primarily centered around the delay in a resolution. The Cowboys supplement an already frustrating situation by peppering in comments that can be perceived negatively by the other side. During Monday's opening news conference, Jones downplayed the urgency to get a contract extension done with Parsons. In doing so, he also took a swipe at Parsons' durability, pointing out that Parsons missed six games last season (he actually missed just four games — the only stretch Parsons has missed since coming into the league in 2021).
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Parsons didn't hide his frustrations with the situation.
'I want to be here. But at the end of the day, they sign the checks, like always,' Parsons said Tuesday. 'Let's see if they want me to be here at the end of the day. … At any given time, they could get things done so I don't think that helps. I just think, I'm doing this for myself and my teammates. This isn't for Jerry, this isn't for Stephen.'
Parsons wrapped up his comments with a sentiment echoed by many fans.
'I don't take it personally,' Parsons said. 'I just don't understand.'
Cowboys DE Micah Parsons: 'There's really not much movement' on contract talks. 'I want to be here. At the end of the day, they sign the checks. Let's see if they want me to be here.'
'I'm doing this for myself and my teammates. This isn't for Jerry.' pic.twitter.com/Q0mLO3cIZ9
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 22, 2025
The month between the end of mandatory minicamp and the start of training camp is always a nervous time for NFL teams. It's when the only headlines to be made by players are negative ones.
Cowboys' Pro Bowl returner KaVontae Turpin made one of those in early July when he was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said he had spoken to Turpin about the situation.
'He understands that there is a standard with how we conduct ourselves,' Schottenheimer said. 'He knows that he needs to be better, but we won't get into all of the specifics.'
Turpin is expected to be a bigger part of the offense this season in addition to his role as the team's primary kickoff and punt returner.
This one is different from the others because this wasn't the Cowboys' fault, but schedule-release day in May was a tough pill for their fans, who typically try to be optimistic during that time of year.
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But a six-game stretch late in the season seems quite daunting on paper, beginning with a late-November tilt at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. That game is followed by:
• Hosting the Kansas City Chiefs for Thanksgiving (Nov. 27).
• A road game in Detroit (Dec. 4).
• Dallas returns home to face the Minnesota Vikings (Dec. 14) on Sunday night and Los Angeles Chargers (Dec. 21).
• The Cowboys conclude the difficult stretch against the Washington Commanders on Christmas (Dec. 25) at Northwest Stadium.
After that gauntlet, all that will remain for the Cowboys to improve their postseason prospects will be a road game against the New York Giants.
In addition to the schedule itself, the Cowboys' attempt at a clever way to release their schedule to the masses fell flat.
Takin' a closer look at America's Stream 🔍
We dropped clues in today's livestream to reveal our 2025 schedule!
🎟️ Get @SeatGeek tickets now ➡️ https://t.co/FCzHg3KRmU pic.twitter.com/Ez83OcHnLx
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) May 15, 2025
If it wasn't enough for Cowboys fans to deal with missing the playoffs and extending the Super Bowl drought to 29 years, they also watched NFC East rival the Philadelphia Eagles dismantle the modern dynasty of the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
While Cowboys fans spent mid-February figuring out reasons to get excited for the future under a new head coach, Eagles fans took to the streets in Philly to celebrate a second Super Bowl title over the past decade.
It feels like a distant memory now — Brian Schottenheimer's constant positive energy has helped many people forget — but the Cowboys' offseason had a frustrating start. Mike McCarthy's future as head coach was a topic of conversation throughout a struggling 2024 season, littered with underperformances and injuries. The way Dallas handled the decision-making on his future was a bad look for the franchise. Then there was the ensuing coaching search, which didn't include any headline names and ended with the hiring of Schottenheimer — who wasn't on anybody's radar — including his own.
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Although Schottenheimer has been nothing but positive since his hiring, those few weeks in January — the process of parting ways with McCarthy and the coaching search — were arguably the lowest point for the vibes surrounding the Cowboys.
(Photo of Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)