Brandon Aubrey, George Pickens and KaVontae Turpin were recognized as some of the best at their positions. Two of the three are currently approaching free agency, but Jerry Jones can - and should - change that.
Before the Wild Card kicks off Saturday, the NFL announced the Associated Press voting results that determined the All-Pro First and Second Teams for the 2025 season.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, kicker Brandon Aubrey and kick returner KaVontae Turpin each received enough votes to land on the Second Team. No Cowboys were named First Team All-Pro, but a handful received some amount of votes from the panel of 50 media members.
Pickens led the way for Dallas' explosive offense after his career-high 1,429 receiving yards were the third-most in the NFL. Ja'Marr Chase, who posted 1,412 yards and one less touchdown than Pickens, earned the last First Team spot as he hauled in 32 more receptions.
CeeDee Lamb finished with 1,077 yards receiving and may have been on pace to make one of the teams, but he missed three games early in the year with a sprained ankle. Dak Prescott stellar year was beat out by the projected MVP finalists Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye in the quarterback voting.
Defensively, the Cowboys were one of the worst units in all of football, and their one vote-getter wasn't on the roster to begin the season. Big defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, whom Dallas acquired at the trade deadline from the Jets, earned 14 total votes and three votes for a first-team nod, though the numbers were not enough to earn a spot.
Dallas' second two Second Teamers were honored for their special teams work with long-range kicker Brandon Aubrey getting his third All-Pro nod of his three-year career. He was the First Team kicker as a rookie in 2023 and now has made the Second Team in back-to-back seasons.
"Butter" nailed the fourth-most field goals in the league (36) at 85 percent accuracy, including a perfect 25-for-25 marksmanship from inside 50 yards. Aubrey was 11 for 17 on 50+ yard field goals and only missed one of his 48 extra point attempts.
Turpin led the league in return yards with 1,814, but he also had seven more returns than the player with the second most. He took each return an average of 26 yards, which is outside the top 25 of all players.
Though "Turp" had his fair share of questionable penalties or fair-catch decisions, he was still honored as an All-Pro for the second straight season. Last year, he was on the First Team as a kick returner for his undeniable speed and elusiveness.
Turpin signed a three-year, $18 million contract extension this past offseason to remain Dallas' go-to return man, but now it's time that the other All-Pros get their due this offseason.
Pickens and Aubrey are each up for new contracts, and owner/GM Jerry Jones has repeatedly spoke highly of each of them in the tone that suggests he wants to work out a price to keep them in Dallas.
Even with Lamb making a top-or-market salary for wide receivers, the Cowboys can afford Pickens through the franchise tag, which many expect is the eventual route Jones will take. The tag would Pickens $28 million in 2026, which is near the annual value he has performed at this season.
His agent David Mulugheta - yes, the same rep for former Cowboy and First Team All-Pro Micah Parsons - may try to squeeze as much as he can out of Jones in a negotiation. Unlike how Parsons handled things before his preseason trade, Pickens has stated that he doesn't plan on having contract talks with Jones directly. Smart move.
At the other table, signing Aubrey will be the easiest decision Jones has to make this spring, and it won't even take up much of his delicate "salary cap pie".
If and when Aubrey is extended, it can only be at a figure of at least $6.5 million - which would make him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. He's more than deserving of the promotion, and I'm sure Jones and the rest of the organization will be happy to oblige.
These contract talks with Pickens and Aubrey have reportedly been ongoing throughout this year...
But maybe this week's All-Pro recognition will be enough to speed the process along.
