The Dallas Cowboys had a trump card to play with 3-time NFL All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey, and they finally used it.
“Cowboys have given the second-round, $5.76 million tender to kicker Brandon Aubrey, per source,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Saturday. “Aubrey now can sign an offer sheet with another team that the Cowboys would have the right to match. If they don’t, they would get back a second-round pick.”
In other words, the Cowboys put the squeeze on Aubrey when he didn’t sign whatever contract extension offers were on the table because there’s little to no chance a team gives up a 2nd round pick for a kicker. Even if it is the NFL’s best kicker.
Aubrey may have been his own worst enemy in the process. The Cowboys reportedly offered him a deal that would have made him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, exceeding the $6.4 million per year for Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.
On Aubrey’s side, his agent was asking for closer to $10 million. Turning down an opportunity to become the NFL’s highest-paid kicker might cost him in the long run.
“Contract extension talks stalled last summer and never really picked up (with Aubrey),” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on Friday. “Both sides agree he should be the highest-paid kicker, but they are far apart on the value. Without an extension, the Cowboys will put the second-round tender on him ($5.7 million).”
Brandon Aubrey Made NFL History in 2025
Despite the Cowboys going 7-9-1 and missing the playoffs for a 2nd consecutive season, Aubrey was as good as he’s ever been.
Aubrey became the first player in NFL history to kick 3 field goals of 55 yards or longer in a single game in a Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions, hitting field goals from 63, 57 and 55 yards — 3 of the 5 total field goals he hit against the Lions.
Aubrey also became the first player in NFL history to make 100 field goals in their first 3 seasons.
“Brandon Aubrey just casually knocking a 63-yarder thru,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote on his official X account. “That was Tom Dempsey’s record distance that stood alone for 28 years.”
“Brandon Aubrey might be more valuable than many NFL QBs,” Kalshi Sports wrote on its official X account.
“In his 3 NFL seasons, Brandon Aubrey has as many career 60-yard field goals (6-for-9, 66.7%) as every NFL kicker from 1960 to 2008 (6-for-82, 7.3%),” Sports! writer Rodger Sherman wrote on his official X account.
Aubrey Went From MLS 1st Round Pick to NFL Star
Aubrey has become a sensation for his ability to make long kicks. He could very well end up breaking the NFL record for the longest field goal set by former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who hit a 66-yard field goal in 2021.
Aubrey was an All-American soccer player at Notre Dame and a 1st round pick (No. 21 overall) by Toronto FC in the 2021 MLS Draft before switching sports in 2019 at his wife’s urging.
Aubrey spent 3 years training before he signed with the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions, where he played in 2022 and 2023 before catching on with the Cowboys in 2023.
Cowboys Deliver Bad News to NFL All-Pro Kicker Brandon Aubrey