Much is being made of the Dallas Cowboys‘ attempts to re-sign 1A wide receiver George Pickens, but some may have forgotten that kicker Brandon Aubrey is also up for a new contract this offseason.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano put together the options for Dallas to re-up the superstar kicker and suggested he will be back with the Cowboys on a four-year contract with more than $12 million guaranteed.
Aubrey, of course, has become a weapon for the Cowboys since he joined them in 2023. The undrafted 30-year-old has made 88.2% of his field goals and missed only four of 130 career extra points, qualifying for the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons.
The Cowboys Have Options When It Comes To Re-Signing Brandon Aubrey
Graziano presented the most logical decision would be to simply make Aubrey the highest-kicker in the NFL. Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs holds the most valuable kicker contract, and he is signed through the 2028 season with $17.75 million in guaranteed money.
Still, the negotiating tactics that Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and the Cowboys have employed previously is why Graziano was more conservative with his extension estimate, especially with Aubrey a restricted free agent.
“The Cowboys have a lot of options if they decide they don’t want to make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. Of course, they could decide to do just that,” Graziano wrote. “But these Cowboys contract extension conversations have a way of getting complicated, and we shouldn’t assume an open-and-shut deal here.
“The Cowboys have so much leverage and have shown in previous negotiations with their own players that they aren’t afraid to use it.”
Aubrey’s contract was perhaps the best bargain in the NFL, since he kicked for about $886,000 the past three seasons. So he is in line for a raise either way, and Graziano explained Dallas’ tender options.
“If the Cowboys don’t want to extend Aubrey, they could offer him a one-year restricted free agent tender,” Graziano wrote. “The options would be a first-round tender (likely around $7.8 million), a second-round tender (likely around $5.7 million) or a right-of-first-refusal tender (likely around $3.5 million).
“If they use the first-round tender, another team offers Aubrey a contract and the Cowboys decline to match the offer, the team that signs Aubrey would have to give the Cowboys a first-round pick. If they use the second-round tender and the same thing happens, the team that signs Aubrey would have to give the Cowboys a second-round pick.”
Those sound like compelling deals that would block potential rivals from poaching him. But Graziano spelled out what could happen if Dallas picks the right-of-first-refusal tender.
“But if they use the right-of-first-refusal tender and the same thing happens, the team signing Aubrey wouldn’t have to give the Cowboys any compensation at all,” Graziano wrote.
The Cowboys Can Also Use The Franchise Tag On Brandon Aubrey
Many feel the Cowboys are saving their franchise tag to lock in Pickens if they can’t get him signed long-term. But Graziano explained why Aubrey could earn the tag if Dallas does figure out a long-term deal with the wide receiver.
“What’s interesting here is that the kicker franchise tag projects to be around $6.7 million, which means it would be cheaper to franchise Aubrey than tender him at the first-round level,” Graziano wrote.
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