New Cowboys Rumors on Brandon Aubrey's Free Agency, 2026 Status Ahead of Offer Sheet Deadline

The Dallas Cowboys are closing in on retaining restricted free agent Brandon Aubrey for the 2026 season.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Aubrey has until Friday to sign an offer sheet with another club before the Cowboys automatically retain his his rights for the upcoming season.

Schefter noted there is "no offer forthcoming" from another team for Aubrey leading up to the deadline.

Dallas used a second-round tender on Aubrey prior to the start of free agency. The move allowed other teams to potentially sign him to an offer sheet that the Cowboys could choose whether or not to match.

If the Cowboys opted not to match, the would receive a second-round pick from the signing team.

Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports reported in February that prior to the start of last season Aubrey's representatives rejected an offer from the Cowboys that would have made him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.

According to Hill, Aubrey's camp countered with an offer worth $10 million annually that led to a halt in discussions.

At the time, Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs was the highest-paid kicker in the NFL with an average salary of $6.4 million. He has since been surpassed by Ka'imi Fairbairn at $6.5 million per season on his two-year, $13 million extension with the Houston Texans.

The second-round tender all but ensured that Aubrey would remain in Dallas because of the draft compensation involved. There hasn't been a kicker taken in the first two rounds since Roberto Aguayo in 2016.

Jake Moody, a third-round pick in 2023, is the only kicker who has been selected before the fourth round since 2017.

If there is one kicker who could break the trend of being worth a second-round pick, it might be Aubrey. He has made 88.2 percent of his field-goal attempts since entering the league in 2023, including at least one successful kick from at least 60 yards in each of the past three years.

Barring a surprising late turn of events, Aubrey will return for a fourth season with the Cowboys on a one-year deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent next offseason.