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Brandon Aubrey #17 of the Dallas Cowboys
Typically, contracts for kickers are not the kind of thing that throw monkey wrenches into the offseasons of NFL teams. But Cowboys star Brandon Aubrey is not a typical kicker, and Dallas is not the home of a typical NFL team. Sure, the Cowboys could work out a long-term deal with Aubrey, widely acknowledged as the best kicker in the game, sooner rather than later, but that’s not typically how the Cowboys do business.
The preference when it comes to inking their top players to long-term deals is to wait until just about as late in the process as possible, which usually winds up in an overpay. And while there probably is no harm in waiting when it comes to Aubrey, who is seeking a record-breaking contract for a kicker, it would appear to be sensible for the Cowboys to simply come to a contract agreement with Aubrey and move forward, rather than letting another loose-end contract situation linger.
But in commenting on the situation with Aubrey on Tuesday from the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, Jerry Jones made it clear he is going to let the Aubrey situation drag on, possibly well into the future.
Cowboys and Brandon Aubrey Far Apart on Contract
As it stands, the situation with Aubrey is that he and the Cowboys exchanged offers, and remain apart on what Aubrey should be paid. The Cowboys, according to multiple reports, are offering more than a record amount on a per-year basis for kickers, (currently $6.5 million) but less than $7 million.
While reports vary on what Aubrey is seeking, the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins has it at a hefty $10 million. In the meantime, the Cowboys put a second-round tender on Aubrey, which means he has a deal for $5.8 million on the table and the Cowboys can match any offer he gets from another team. The Cowboys would get a second-round pick if Aubrey signed elsewhere.
Cowboys Could Get Bargain at $5.8 Million
Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said the team is comfortable with the situation festering where it is for a while, and is operating under the assumption that Aubrey will eventually sign the tender offer rather than operate the rare kicker holdout.
“I would say that I’m satisfied short of where we are with him signing the tender offer,” Jones said. “I’m satisfied with where we are there.”
But Jones did indicate that the plan is to have Aubrey stick around, long-term. That could be on a free-agent deal next offseason (or a franchise tag) after he plays this one out on the $5.8 million tender, or it could mean getting a deal done this spring or summer.
“I’m not going to get into what it would take [to sign him to a long-term deal], because that’s obviously still subject of a negotiation,” Jones said. “But we do have long-term plans.”
Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
GettyDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
Brandon Aubrey Could Attract Big Outside Offer
The danger for the Cowboys is that, once the NFL draft passes, teams with some cap flexibility might decide it makes sense to insert themselves into the situation and make Aubrey the $10 million offer, or maybe more. The Cowboys then would have to match the deal, or risk heading into the season without a proven kicker.
That is only a slim chance, of course, but given the weapons that kickers have become in the NFL thanks to new kickoff rules and new kicking balls, it’s something the Cowboys will need to monitor.