Brandon Aubrey: Cowboys' contract offer is "not the ideal" — and more

The Cowboys are willing to make Brandon Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, but they have stopped far short of the $10 million annual average he wants.

Aubrey and the Cowboys have discussed a contract extension for the kicker for months without an agreement. Last week, the Cowboys leaked that Aubrey was asking for $10 million per season.

Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reported that the Cowboys had offered Aubrey $7.5 million, but later corrected his report. The number actually is less than $7 million, but more than the $6.4 million annual average of the league's highest-paid kicker, Kansas City's Harrison Butker.

The Cowboys will place a second-round tender on Aubrey, which would pay him $5.81 million, but it will allow him to seek a better deal. Dallas will hold a right-of-first refusal, receiving a second-round draft choice if it declines to match the offer.

“Obviously the tender is what the Cowboys have talked about, and it’s a good problem to have,” Aubrey said Wednesday, via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s a good amount of money, and it’s a big pay raise from before, but it’s not the ideal for any player. We’ll see what happens. I’m excited to be in this position. It’s an opportunity for me . . . so I’m thankful for that.”

Aubrey, 30, has made the Pro Bowl in all three of his seasons and has an NFL-record six field goals from 60 yards or longer. He has a career-long of 65 yards. He missed seven field goals in 2024 and six in 2025, with all but four of the misses coming from 50-plus yards.

He said he has thought about potentially leaving the Cowboys if he gets an offer the team won't match.

“When you hit that restricted free agency, if you’re not testing the market, then you’re not doing what’s right for you and your family,” Aubrey said. “So you have to do that, if that’s what it comes to.”