Dallas Cowboys Secure Brandon Aubrey with $5.7 Million Second-Round Tender

The Dallas Cowboys have placed a $5.7 million second-round tender on Pro Bowl kicker Brandon Aubrey to ensure he remains with the team for the 2025 season.

The Dallas Cowboys officially applied a second-round restricted free agent tender to kicker Brandon Aubrey on Monday, a move carrying a fixed value of $5.7 million for the upcoming season. According to reporting from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, this specific Brandon Aubrey tender ensures that the Pro Bowl specialist remains under team control through the 2025 campaign. By selecting the second-round level rather than a right-of-first-refusal or first-round designation, the front office established a clear price point for any rival organization attempting to acquire his services. If another franchise were to extend an offer sheet that Dallas chose not to match, that team would be forced to forfeit a second-round draft selection as direct compensation.

This $5.7 million figure represents a significant salary increase for a player who originally joined the roster via the USFL. The decision to utilize such a high tender level underscores the value the organization places on a kicker who earned First-team All-Pro honors during his debut NFL season. While the tender acts as a one-year placeholder, it provides the Cowboys with exclusive negotiating rights until the mid-April deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets. This strategic maneuver effectively removes one of the league's most accurate legs from the open market before the legal tampering period begins.

Beyond the immediate financial implications of the $5.7 million cap hit, the Cowboys are actively pursuing a long-term solution. Team officials have expressed a desire to finalize a multiyear contract extension with Aubrey that would supersede the one-year tender. Such an agreement would likely lower his immediate 2025 salary cap impact while providing the kicker with guaranteed money and long-term security. These negotiations are expected to continue throughout the spring as both parties seek a deal that reflects his status as a premier special teams asset.

Aubrey’s rise to prominence included a record-breaking start to his career, where he converted his first 35 consecutive field goal attempts. This level of consistency transformed the Dallas scoring unit, allowing the offense to remain aggressive knowing they possessed a reliable option from distances exceeding 50 yards. The front office viewed the second-round tender as a necessary insurance policy against the volatility of the kicking market. By committing nearly $6 million in potential salary, the Cowboys have prioritized special teams stability over other roster needs during this initial phase of the offseason.

The logistical timing of this move allows the Cowboys to focus their remaining resources on other high-profile free agents and upcoming draft prospects. Because Aubrey was a restricted free agent, the team had until the start of the new league year to issue the qualifying offer. The $5.7 million tender is non-guaranteed until the start of the regular season, providing the team with flexibility, though his performance history makes him a lock for the final 53-man roster. This transaction serves as a foundational piece of the team's 2025 roster construction strategy.

As the NFL landscape shifts with the rising salary cap, the cost of retaining elite specialists has climbed accordingly. The Cowboys' willingness to meet the $5.7 million threshold demonstrates a departure from previous years where the team cycled through veteran minimum options at the position. Aubrey has proven to be a statistical outlier, and this tender is the first formal step in ensuring his leg remains a weapon for Mike McCarthy’s squad. Fans can expect further updates as the deadline for a long-term extension approaches later this summer.