The Dallas Cowboys and All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey seem to be at an impasse.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys offered Aubrey the largest contract ever for a kicker. Though details of the offer are unknown, multiple reports indicate Aubrey’s representatives believe it’s not enough.

Naturally, the news has fans wondering what’s ahead for Aubrey, and if losing him ahead of the 2026 season is a possibility. I’m here to clear things up, starting with pointing out why Aubrey is almost guaranteed to be rocking the Star this year even without a long-term deal in place.

Brandon Aubrey is a restricted free agent

In the NFL, you need four accrued seasons under your belt to be a true, unrestricted free agent.

Since Aubrey has only three, his free agency is “restricted.” That means the Cowboys can offer him a “qualifying offer,” most commonly known as tenders. These do multiple things:

• They give the team a “Right of First Refusal,” meaning the Cowboys can match any offer submitted by another NFL team. Aubrey could negotiate a long-term deal with another team, but the Cowboys could keep him from signing it thanks to the tender.
• Some tenders include draft compensation that is awarded to the original club if it doesn’t match another team’s offer. For these purposes, there are first-round tenders, second-round tenders, and original-round tenders. Since Aubrey was undrafted, the latter doesn’t apply.
  • If a player receives a first-round tender, and is signed by another team, the new team must award the prior team a first-round pick.

In other words, Aubrey is a free agent in the sense that he would be eligible to negotiate with other teams when the legal tampering period begins. However, his future isn’t entirely up to him as the Cowboys can intervene through a restricted free agency (RFA) tender.

Likeliest solution

If the Cowboys and Aubrey fail to reach a long-term deal prior to March 11, the start of the 2026 League Year, the front office is likely to use a tender on him. Since we’re talking about the best kicker in the NFL today, using a second-round or first-round tender is the way to go.

This year, the first-round tender is projected to be worth $8.1 million, while the second-round tender is expected to be $5.8 million, per Over the Cap.

The question the Cowboys must ask themselves is if they believe a team is willing to part ways with a first or second-round pick while also needing to strike a record-setting, long-term deal with a kicker. That seems like a highly unlikely scenario.

That’s where the Cowboys’ leverage is at. Does Aubrey, with a supposedly strong contract offer on the table, risk playing for $5.8 million this year in hopes of a better deal a year from now? A better deal from another team is unlikely to come to his plate given the draft capital it would take to remove him from Dallas.

A deal is better for all parties

Though the Cowboys know about their leverage and are likely to use it, there’s no question reaching a long-term contract should be the preferred outcome for everybody. Aubrey would receive a hefty signing bonus and long-term security, while Dallas would get more salary cap flexibility.

We’ll see if negotiations progress at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.

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