The Dallas Cowboys remain confident they'll get a long-term contract done with kicker Brandon Aubrey, but have yet to close the deal.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is on the record noting that he's willing to make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, a title currently held by Harrison Butker at $6.4 million per year. However, it seems the Cowboys aren't currently significantly above that figure, while Aubrey's camp is reportedly seeking upwards of $10 million per year.
History suggests they'll land somewhere in the middle, but Aubrey didn't sound ready to surrender his leverage as he's set to become a restricted free agent.
"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 Wednesday, via The Dallas Morning News. "So you have to do that, if that's what it comes to."
With Aubrey's winding path to the NFL, from Major League Soccer to the USFL to the Cowboys, he's in a low-level contract situation. Despite making the Pro Bowl and being named first- or second-team All-Pro in all three of his seasons, Aubrey has earned $2.695 million total, averaging $898,333 per year. That's a rounding error for Jones. Dak Prescott earns more in three weeks on his $60 million contract than Aubrey did in three years.
The Cowboys are poised to use a second-round tender on Aubrey, with the one-year payday coming in at $5.81 million. That would make him the third-highest paid kicker in the league. A team could sign Aubrey to a contract, but the Cowboys would have a chance to match the deal. If Dallas didn't match, the club would receive the signing team's second-round pick.
"Obviously, the tender is what the Cowboys have talked about, and it's a good problem to have," Aubrey said. "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."
A Cowboys offseason never disappoints. Even when it comes to the kicker.
