Kicker demands $10 million annually as negotiations heat up, potentially rewriting kicker compensation and challenging the Cowboys' hefty offer.
FRISCO - And now you know why it sounds so dumb when Dallas Cowboys watchers bleat, "Just Pay The Man!''
What we've known about the Cowboys' approach to signing All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey? We have spoken at length about the proposed money involved in Aubrey's new deal, what we thought of as in the range of $7 million APY to make him the highest-paid kicker in football.
And we know that talked are ongoing and that they've been taking place since last fall.
about Aubrey's contract.
“We’ve been working on a long-term deal for some time,” Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said this week. “We’ve exchanged offers and the goal is to get him signed. We’ll tender him before the deadline if that’s what we have to decide.”
But now comes a new wrinkle.
Yes, we're told, the Cowboys' view on Aubrey's deal is that he deserves to be the highest-paid kicker ever - and word is they've gone there, offering "close to'' $7.5 million per year.
Hey, that's great! So why are the Cowboys still expected to place a second-round restricted free agent tender on Aubrey, locking him in at about $6 million for the 2026 season?
Because, according to the Dallas News, Aubrey's side is demanding (wait for it ...)
A long-term contract worth $10 million per year.
Oh, that would make him the NFL's highest-paid kicker, alright, blowing away KC's Harrison Butker at $6.4 mil per year.
In fact, it's about five times greater than the average kicker salary!
Aubrey is represented by Todd France, who also reps quarterback Dak Prescott. ... who is of course by far the NFL's highest-paid player ever at $60 million APY.
Dallas' leverage? That tender; it gives the team contractual control.
Aubrey's hope? To rewrite the way kickers are paid - or maybe just to start the bidding so high that it caused one NFL source to term it to us "outrageous.''
Granted, it is just one deal right now, but with Aubrey hopefully following suit in the coming weeks, the Cowboys could lock away two key pieces, leaving just Pickens to get done.
Maybe leopards do change their spots, after all?