When it comes to upcoming free agency the Dallas Cowboys have a number of important things to tend to. It feels pretty fair to say that priority number one has to be George Pickens and making sure that the team gets a long-term deal done with him. This opinion does seem to vary from fan to fan, so perhaps you do not feel this way.
One name who, for the most part, draws universal agreement is kicker Brandon Aubrey. The Cowboys are very fortunate to have discovered Aubrey a few years ago and now is the time
for serious pen to meet paper.
In a recent write-up about decisions that Dallas will have to make along these lines, ESPN’s Todd Archer noted that Aubrey is “likely” to receive the second-round tender given that he is a restricted free agent.
The Cowboys also have some decisions to make with their restricted free agents. Since he was not drafted, All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey is likely to receive the second-round tender, which is projected to be a little more than $6 million. The Cowboys had talks with Aubrey’s agent, Todd France, on a multiyear deal last summer but never got close. Perhaps those get rekindled in the offseason, which could make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL but with a cap number of less than $6 million for 2026.
The fact that the tender option is available to the Cowboys means that it is very unlikely that he is kicking elsewhere in 2026. If the Cowboys want him, they are likely going to retain him. And if it isn’t obvious, anyone would want him.
Unfortunately long-term contract negotiations aren’t exactly this team’s specialty. This is with regards to doing them efficiently and quietly.
Perhaps the team will turn a new leaf, but it stands to reason that they will go the tender route at the very beginning. Recall that initial reports around KaVontae Turpin were that they were going to tender him until they got a long-term deal in place.
Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News noted in an X post that an AAV for Brandon Aubrey could fall around $7.5M. That is certainly a lot for a kicker, but not a lot relative to the rest of the roster.
