Dallas Cowboys kicker patient as free agent market resets: ‘Price has gone up’
The Dallas Cowboys placed a second-round tender on kicker Brandon Aubrey after they were unable to agree on a long-term contract.
That means any other team is free to offer Aubrey a long-term deal, but the Cowboys can match it. If a team offers Aubrey a contract, the Cowboys will receive a second-round draft pick if they choose not to match.
Aubrey talked about his mindset as a restricted free agent during an appearance Wednesday to promote IndyCar’s inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington this weekend.
“It’s not something that I have control over; the term ‘restricted’ applies there,” he said. “Obviously, Dallas is my home, would like to keep it that way, so it would be nice to get a long-term deal going. Just need to sit down and have that conversation.
“There’s a lot of moving parts with the Cowboys at the moment, and you know, there’s players that aren't restricted that they got to sort through first because with that restriction, movement is significantly more difficult. … There’s more important fires to put out, and then they can circle around when things calm down.”
While Aubrey waits on a long-term deal, the Houston Texans and Ka’imi Fairbairn agreed to a contract that makes him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL with a two-year, $13 million contract. Aubrey talked about Fairbairn’s contract being the rising tide that lifts all boats.
“That’s always a positive,” Aubrey said. “Anytime the market goes up as a whole, every kicker makes money. So when he signs a new record contract … anybody who’s signing a new deal, the price has gone up.”
Aubrey has been perhaps the league’s best kicker since his debut in 2023. He’s been a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection every season of his career and has already set the NFL record for most career 60-yard field goals.
Aubrey appeared with IndyCar driver Mick Schumacher at a training session to promote the upcoming Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, a joint venture among the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers and IndyCar. Practice begins Friday, and the race is at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
The pair did a couple of workouts together, with Schumacher showing Aubrey some neck and reaction time exercises. Then the driver did his best Aubrey impression, taking some field goal attempts with direction from the Notre Dame product.
“You learn as you meet more and more professional athletes across different sports that we’re all so unique and calibrated to the specific tasks we have to do,” Aubrey said. “He goes through a lot of workouts specifically for handling the G-forces that are involved with IndyCar and the lack of power steering, which I didn't realize was such a big deal.”
Aubrey talked about what it’ll be like to see the Grand Prix of Arlington drivers going 200-plus mph though the entertainment district.
“I used to drive past this area for work at GM Financial, so it’ll be really cool to see how they got the whole track set up,” he said. “I don’t quite ever get up to those speeds, but I’ve been down those roads pretty fast, so it’ll be exciting to see how they handle it and just how good the course is.”
Aubrey will almost certainly become the highest-paid kicker in NFL history once he signs his next contract, with reports saying the Cowboys have already offered around $7 million annually, while Aubrey is requesting something in the neighborhood of $10 million.
If Aubrey is unable to sign a long-term contract with the Cowboys or another team, he will make $5.7 million next year, which would make him the fourth-highest paid kicker in the NFL.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 4:21 PM.
