Though the Dallas Cowboys’ season was reduce brief because of a disappointing 7-9-1 document, the offense nonetheless thrived. Two of their new additions, Javonte Williams and George Pickens, produced of their first season with the Dallas Cowboys, with the latter being named a second-team All-Professional. Coincidentally, each gamers did it simply on the proper time and are set for brand new contracts at first of the brand new league 12 months.
Each gamers are nonetheless younger and of their primes. Pickens and Williams could possibly be cornerstones for the staff’s future. Their upcoming free company instructions loads of consideration, and for good motive. Nevertheless, their impending free company is overshadowing one other homegrown expertise that the Cowboys can not half with and should safe a long-term take care of as quickly as attainable. The Cowboys should hammer out a prolonged new contract with their kicker, Brandon Aubrey.
Aubrey’s contract state of affairs is totally different. Not like Pickens and Williams, Aubrey can be a restricted free agent, however what does that imply? In brief, a restricted free agent is a participant with an expiring contract with three accrued seasons who can negotiate a contract with different groups, however the Cowboys would have the proper to match a suggestion or obtain draft compensation. The compensation given in alternate additionally is dependent upon the kind of tender positioned on Aubrey earlier than the free company interval begins in March. Below this explicit standing, the Cowboys can tender Aubrey with three totally different designations.
First is the proper of first refusal, which implies that the Cowboys can match a suggestion from one other staff to Aubrey, but when they do not want to match the provide, they won’t obtain draft compensation if Aubrey is signed away to a different staff. Subsequent is the second-round tender. Below this feature, the Cowboys would have the proper to match a suggestion, but when they do not want to match the deal, they might obtain a second-round draft decide in alternate. Lastly, is the first-round tender and it’s largely the identical because the second-round tender besides beneath this stipulation, a staff must give the Cowboys their first-round draft decide in the event that they signal him away from Dallas. Per overthecap.com, they predict the tenders to appear like this:
We’ve already heard experiences that the Cowboys are more likely to place the second-round tender on Aubrey forward of free company.
Dallas want to save themselves from a bunch of pointless drama by giving Aubrey a brand new contract outright. They tried by talking with Aubrey’s illustration final summer time however couldn’t come to an settlement. The query is: How a lot will it value?
We must always totally count on Aubrey to reset the marketplace for kickers on a brand new contract. Once more per overthecap.com, Harrison Butker is the highest-paid kicker within the NFL with a four-year $25.6M contract that incudes $15M totally assured, which is well probably the most assured cash to a kicker per overthecap.com. To completely assess how a lot precisely Dallas must pay to signal Aubrey, let’s first resolve how a lot annual wage Aubrey would value.
The best wage is Butker’s at $6.4M, signed in August of 2024. Earlier than that, Jake Elliott signed for a $6M wage in March 2024, a distinction of $400K between him and the now highest-paid Butker. With an rising wage cap and Aubrey being as adorned as he’s, let’s assert that his annual wage is barely extra of a differential than the one between Butker and Elliott. Let’s go together with Aubrey at $7.2M on an annual wage. Then, to push the determine down the highway to present the Cowboys some cap reduction within the onset, Dallas ought to attempt to signal Aubrey to a five-year contract. Lastly is the quantity of totally assured cash. Utilizing Butker once more for example, his contract had slightly below 70% of its whole worth assured at $17.75M. In whole, Aubrey’s proposed deal would quantity to a five-year contract value $36M, with $25.2 of it assured.As to why the Cowboys ought to pay such a wealthy contract? Since profitable the kicking job in 2023, Aubrey has modified your entire dynamic of how Dallas approaches end-of-half conditions and the way they play on third downs as soon as they cross the 50-yard line. Not do the Cowboys should be compelled to punt from the plus aspect of the sphere. Aubrey has sufficient vary to make a kick from 65 yards and presumably longer if the circumstances are favorable.
In his brief profession, he has proven elite consistency. He has the NFL document for probably the most consecutive made area objectives to begin a profession (35). He additionally made the Professional Bowl in every of his three NFL seasons. It’s straightforward to neglect how tumultuous the kicking place was in Dallas between Dan Bailey and Brandon Aubrey, with stints in between that featured Greg Zuerlein and Brett Maher. His accuracy did take a dip final 12 months, however that solely proved that he’s human, as he’s established such a excessive commonplace beforehand. As of now, Aubrey has made probably the most 60-yard area objectives in NFL historical past (6) and the longest within the historical past of the franchise.Let’s not neglect how good he’s on the new dynamic kickoff. Aubrey did a superb job of inserting the soccer within the touchdown zones on the corners of the sphere of play. Sadly, the Cowboys’ kick protection wasn’t nearly as good to showcase Aubrey’s proficiency. Who can neglect how good he’s in clutch moments? Suppose again to Aubrey’s 64-yard area aim final season towards the New York Giants to power the sport into additional time after which the 46-yard kick to win the sport. Having a virtually computerized three factors each time the staff crosses midfield is a invaluable weapon.
