The Cowboys placed a $5.7 million second-round restricted free agent tender on Pro Bowl kicker Brandon Aubrey on Saturday, March 7, 2026, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move keeps Aubrey in Dallas for now, but a contract extension sits unsigned while the two sides remain far apart on annual value.
Dallas is pushing hard for a multiyear deal with Aubrey, who earned Pro Bowl honors and ranked among the most accurate kickers in the NFL. Saturday’s tender is a procedural step that buys time while talks grind on. The gap between what each side wants is real and wide.
How Dallas Got Here With Aubrey
The Cowboys entered the 2026 offseason with Aubrey as a restricted free agent, giving the club the right to match any outside offer sheet. By applying the top-level tender, Dallas guaranteed that any team signing Aubrey away would owe a second-round draft pick in return — a steep price that figures to limit outside interest.
That protection matters even more given the team’s draft capital situation. Dallas does not hold a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, having traded it to acquire Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Losing Aubrey without compensation would sting. Losing him for a pick the Cowboys already spent would sting far worse.
The tender forces any suitor to hand over premium draft currency that Dallas spent to land Williams. Few front offices will view that trade as a good deal for a specialist, no matter how good he is. The numbers from this offseason bear that out — no competing offer sheet has surfaced.
The $5.7 million figure is the set tender value under the current collective bargaining agreement, not a negotiated number. It functions as Aubrey’s guaranteed salary for 2026 if no extension is reached and no club submits a competing offer sheet.
The Cowboys’ most recent offer to Aubrey averaged close to $7 million per year, per Schefter. Agent Todd France countered by asking for closer to $10 million annually. That $3 million annual gap is the real hurdle in talks.
Ten million dollars per year would put Aubrey among the highest-paid kickers in NFL history on average annual value. Seven million is already a substantial number for the position. The film on Aubrey’s career accuracy backs up France’s confidence in his client’s worth. Neither side has shown a willingness to close that gap quickly, and the tender buys more time for both parties.
France is one of the most seasoned agents in the league. His ask of $10 million signals strong conviction in Aubrey’s market value. The Cowboys, for their part, are not walking away — they applied the highest possible tender level, which signals a genuine desire to keep their kicker in town for the long haul.
Key Facts in the Aubrey Tender Situation
Dallas applied the top restricted free agent tender, valued at $5.7 million for the 2026 season.
The Cowboys do not own a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, having traded it to land Quinnen Williams.
The club’s most recent extension offer averaged close to $7 million per year.
Todd France asked for approximately $10 million per year on Aubrey’s behalf, leaving a roughly $3 million annual gap in talks.
The only restricted free agent in NFL history to depart via second-round tender compensation was wide receiver Wes Welker, who moved from the Miami Dolphins to the New England Patriots in 2007 in exchange for second- and seventh-round picks.
The Welker case stands as the lone example in NFL history of a restricted free agent departing for second-round pick compensation. Welker left Miami for New England in 2007 after the Dolphins applied that same top tender. The Patriots sent back a second and a seventh to finish the deal. That trade worked out well for New England and badly for Miami — a cautionary tale the Dallas front office almost certainly has in mind.
The rarity of that outcome works in Dallas’s favor. Because no team has pulled off a similar poach since 2007, the market for Aubrey via offer sheet is historically thin. Most franchises calculate that surrendering a premium pick for a kicker — even an elite one — is too steep a price. That math gives the Cowboys leverage to sit on the tender, keep talking, and trust that few clubs will ante up for a specialist.
The salary cap picture here is layered. Dallas already surrendered a second-round selection to land Quinnen Williams on the defensive line. Adding Aubrey at or near $10 million annually would represent a notable cap commitment at the kicker spot. The front office must weigh his legitimate market value against the broader roster-building math that governs every NFL offseason. That tension — between rewarding a standout performer and managing cap space across a full 53-man depth chart — is what makes this negotiation worth tracking through the spring.
For fantasy football managers who rostered Aubrey in 2025, his status for 2026 looks stable no matter how the extension talks play out. Under the tender, he plays in Dallas at $5.7 million. If a deal gets done, he stays longer. Either path keeps him on the field.
What is the second-round tender the Cowboys placed on Brandon Aubrey?
The second-round restricted free agent tender is a $5.7 million one-year contract offer placed on Aubrey for the 2026 season. Any team that signs Aubrey to an offer sheet and is not matched by Dallas would owe the Cowboys a second-round draft pick in return, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
How much money is Brandon Aubrey asking for in contract talks?
Aubrey’s agent, Todd France, has asked for close to $10 million per year in extension negotiations. The Cowboys’ most recent offer averaged close to $7 million annually, leaving a gap of roughly $3 million per year between the two sides, per ESPN.
Why don’t the Dallas Cowboys have a second-round pick in 2026?
Dallas traded its 2026 second-round draft selection to acquire Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. That means if any team signs Aubrey away and the Cowboys decline to match, Dallas would receive compensation at a pick level the team no longer holds.
Has any NFL team ever signed a restricted free agent away using a second-round tender?
Yes, but only once in NFL history. Wide receiver Wes Welker left the Miami Dolphins for the New England Patriots in 2007 after Miami applied that top-level tender. New England sent back second- and seventh-round picks to complete the move, per ESPN.
Jake Whitmore is a small-town Texas reporter who worked his way up from covering Friday night high school football to the NFL. With over nine years in sports journalism, Jake writes like he is talking to fans at a tailgate -- direct, passionate, and full of the enthusiasm that makes football Sundays special. He covers game previews, roster moves, and the fan perspective on every major NFL storyline.
