After months of contract uncertainty, restricted free agency, and a negotiating gap that seemed impossible to close, the Dallas Cowboys and the team's kicker Brandon Aubrey have found common ground, and it has made NFL history!

Aubrey was placed on a second-round tender worth $5.76M for the 2026 season. There was no offer sheet from competing teams until the deadline of such a contract, making him stay with the Cowboys.

They reached an agreement today on a deal that will make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. The four-year extension makes Aubrey the first kicker to earn $7 million per year and receive $20 million guaranteed, per Todd France and AJ Stevens of The AthleticFirst, per the X post shared by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Brandon Aubrey has appeared in 51 games and has made 112 of 127 field attempts (88.2%) and converted 126 of 130 extra points at 96.9% across three seasons in the NFL.

With that performance to his credit, Aubrey heads into his fourth Cowboys season as the top-paid kicker in the sport, ahead of Ka'imi Fairbairn of the Houston Texans at $6.5 million annually and Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs at $6.4 million.

His $28 million total value also clears Butker's $25.6 million deal as the largest kicker contract in league history.

But before this historic deal, Aubrey and the Cowboys went back and forth in negotiations. 

Tender Rules Blocked Aubrey's Interest

Before placing a tender on Aubrey, the Cowboys offered Aubrey a deal worth nearly $7M per year. This is a figure above the benchmark for kickers in the league.  But negotiations fell through as Aubrey’s agent was seeking a figure closer to $10M per year, making the gap too wide to bridge by other teams. 

The Cowboys responded by placing a second-round tender, limiting his rights to the team. It meant the Cowboys will be receiving a second-round pick in compensation for meeting the contract price of the Cowboys. But it was a price steep enough for any team to compete

With no offer materialising before the April 17 deadline, Aubrey was to stay with the Cowboys until further negotiations for a long-term deal proceeded. And such a deal was made, making him stay with the Cowboys till the 2029 season.

Aubrey has been one of the most prolific kickers in NFL history. His 14 field goals over a 50-yard distance in a single season is a record, making him worth the deal for the Cowboys.

He also earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod, a first for a kicker in the Cowboys’ history to accomplish that feat for three consecutive years.

Do you think Aubrey got a fair deal?

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi