It might be the 2026 NFL Draft Week, but the Dallas Cowboys aren’t waiting around for Thursday, as they extended kicker Brandon Aubrey. The franchise signed the 31-year-old kicker to a $28 million extension on Monday, locking him in for the next four years. Experts, on the other hand, had much to say.
NFL Figures Weigh In on Brandon Aubrey Signing Massive Extension
After three productive years with ‘America’s Team,’ Aubrey is continuing his stay in Arlington as the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. Dallas is reloading for another playoff push in 2026, and having a kicker as efficient as him goes a long way.
“Brandon Aubrey and the Dallas Cowboys reached an agreement today on a deal that will make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in NFL history,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. “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 Athletes First.”
Prominent figures around the league weighed in on the latest news.
“About freaking time. Get Pickens done already!” Ray Santiago posted on X, expressing the desire for the team to get a deal done with the star receiver next.
“Much more reasonable than $10M a year,” Fansided’s Marcus Mosher posted.
Aubrey has been solid since Day 1 of arriving at the Cowboys. He exploded onto the scene in 2023, guns ablaze, hitting on 94.7% of his field goals. He also didn’t let off, bagging at least 85% of his kicks every year for the last two years.
“It’s $20 million guaranteed for Aubrey, also the highest for a kicker in NFL history,” Star Telegram’s Nick Harris wrote. “That’s strong belief in a placekicker to be the long-term guy.”
Analyst Ian Hartitz quoted an anecdote from the start of Aubrey’s career, dating back to 2018:
“After being released from Bethlehem Steel FC in 2018, Aubrey decided to use his degree from Notre Dame to become a software engineer. While watching an NFL game on TV in 2019, a placekicker missed a field goal and Aubrey’s wife told him: ‘You could do that.’ From 2019 to 2022, Aubrey worked with former Mississippi State kicker and kicking coach Brian Egan three times a week.”
The USFL’s Birmingham Stallions drafted the kicker in 2022, and he never went back to soccer.
After two seasons with the Stallions, the Cowboys signed him on July 10, 2023, and he has since been a staple on special teams.
Having only entered the NFL at the age of 28, Aubrey didn’t come up the conventional way. However, given the general shelf life of kickers around the league, he should be around for several more years if he maintains his consistency.
