Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey now has to wait to see how the franchise approaches his potential new deal after the deadline to negotiate with other teams has passed.
Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey has seen his offseason options shrink as the deadline to negotiate a new contract with other teams has passed.
A restricted free agent, the Cowboys placed a second-round tender on Aubrey, meaning if a team wanted to talk terms with Aubrey, they could. If the Cowboys chose not to match, the team getting Aubrey would have to give up a second-round selection.
And as expected, that didn't happen, which now leaves the Cowboys with all the leverage in talks with Aubrey over a new long-term deal.
The general consensus was that this contract extension would be relatively easy. Offer, say, $7.5 million APY over four years, making the All-Pro the highest-paid kicker in football, shake hands, and move on.
But that hasn't happened, with Aubrey reportedly wanting more than what Dallas initially offered, which was reportedly around $7 million APY.
So, the options that Aubrey now has aren't great.
He can either push to negotiate a new deal with the Cowboys, sign his $5.76 million tender for 2026, or wait to see if the team looks to trade him.
In short, Dallas now holds all the cards in this deal.
It does feel like Aubrey will play on the tender in 2026, which isn't ideal, but at least the Cowboys keep their dynamic kicker around for another season. In truth, sorting out a new deal for the All-Pro shouldn't be too hard to push through.
This isn't a $30+ millon APY deal like George Pickens. We are talking about a four-year deal at, say, $7.5 million APY.
Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn is currently the highest-paid kicker at $6.5 million APY, while Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker is the highest as far as guaranteed money ($17.75 million).
So, the APY terms might not be Aubrey's sticking point; it could be the total guarantees.
Either way, Dallas has all the leverage now in these talks, but this still isn't a deal that should be needlessly dragged out until training camp.
Aubrey has made it clear he wants to be in Dallas, but what is his ideal price? That could determine what the Cowboys do with their star kicker.
And right now, the franchise holds all the cards.