Brandon Aubrey #17 of the Dallas Cowboys
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Brandon Aubrey #17 of the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys almost certainly will have kicker Brandon Aubrey back on the field for them in 2026, and in the end, that’s what most fans and observers of the team are most concerned with knowing. Aubrey is, arguably, the best kicker in football, an All-Pro and a three time Pro Bowler who has made 112 of the 127 field goals he’s attempted in his three-year career, including 35 made 50-yarders on 40 attempts.
With new rules on kickoffs making it easier than ever for teams to get into field-goal range, even on shabby drives, Aubrey’s value has been going up. He is also, as a third-year undrafted player, in the midst of his first free agency, and he has had the poor fortune to be going through that process with the Cowboys.
That’s because the Cowboys–owner Jerry Jones specifically–approach every negotiation as a battle to be won, a stance that he’s tried to take with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons in the last three years. Whether he was successful in any of those cases can be debated.
Brandon Aubrey and Cowboys Still Far Apart
But now it’s Aubrey’s turn through the wringer. His Cowboys free agency is not getting the kind of publicity that the George Pickens situation is getting, but it’s worthwhile nonetheless–Aubrey is a serious offensive weapon. The Cowboys and Aubrey have had scant conversations on a new contract, with reports indicating Dallas’ offer is just under $7 million annually, while Aubrey is seeking $10 million per year.
The Cowboys put the second-round tender on Aubrey, which means he can negotiate with other teams, but the Cowboys can match any offer, and if they choose not to, the signing team would owe Dallas a second-round pick. The Cowboys can leave Aubrey at that contract (worth $5.8 million for one year), and make him either sign it or hold out for a bigger long-term deal.
Cowboys Could Use Franchise Tag on Brandon Aubrey
The Cowboys can’t use the franchise tag on Aubrey, though, because they’re using that on Pickens. Teams can only use one franchise tag per year. But, as Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, Aubrey is the top candidate to be franchised next March.
Writes Harris: “Kicker Brandon Aubrey is next in line to potentially see the tag placed. … While the team has tried to get a long-term deal done and has offered a contract that would make him the highest-paid kicker in the league multiple times, Aubrey elected to test the restricted free agency waters. If no team bites on an offer sheet, he will be required to sign the tender contract which would theoretically put him in unrestricted free agency in 2027.
“Then, the Cowboys could place a franchise tag with an expected tag number of $7.27 million, according to Over the Cap.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
GettyDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
‘We Do Have Long-Term Plans’
The Cowboys could, potentially, put the franchise tag on Pickens again in 2027, though, and considering the position he plays, that might be the better financial play for Dallas. That deal would be worth around $35 million, but only for one year. It would be cheaper in the long term to re-tag Pickens and simply pay Aubrey than vice-versa.
Jones has been clear, with both Aubrey and Pickens, that the intention is to keep them in place with the Cowboys for the long term. But there will, apparently, be a lot of contract wrestling in the meantime.
“I would say that I’m satisfied short of where we are with him signing the tender offer,” Jones said of Aubrey this week. “I’m satisfied with where we are there. … 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. But we do have long-term plans.”