Cowboys, Brandon Aubrey Agreed to Compromise on Offseason De-Escalator in Contract

Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cowboys, Brandon Aubrey Agreed to Compromise on Offseason De-Escalator in Contract

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Apr 23, 2026 4:45 PM ET

If you thought the reason it took so long for the Dallas Cowboys to sign kicker Brandon Aubrey to a long-term contract extension had only to do with the money Aubrey was looking to make, you'd be wrong. It also had to do with the money he could lose.

Aubrey was a guest on "The Dumb Zone" and explained that one of the hold-ups with his contract was his insistence on the team lowering the offseason de-escalator.

“The last thing was the offseason de-escalator... ours is $250,000," Aubrey said. "That was less about me and more about fighting precedent... It wasn’t important to me, so I was cool with conceding that.”

In case you're not familiar, the offseason de-escalator docks players money for the failure to meet attendance requirements during the offseason.

For example, former Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs lost $500,000 for not meeting the requirement, which is obviously a hefty sum of money for anyone.

So, in the end, Aubrey cuts that de-escalator in half.

Brandon Aubrey's record-setting contract

Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Aubrey's contract not only made him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, but the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.

Aubrey inked a four-year, $28 million deal that includes $20 million guaranteed. In the process, he surpassed Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn, whose two-year, $13 million contract previously held the high-water mark for highest annual average.

There would typically be beef with paying a kicker that much money, but Aubrey has proven well worth it.

Aubrey has put to bed any debate about which kicker has the biggest leg in the league by routinely smashing 60-yard field goals.

Aubrey has made a ridiculous six 60-yard field goals during his career, including a career-high of 65 yards in 2024, and some of those kicks have come in high-pressures situations.

Having a kicker who can boot field goals from that distance is nothing short of a cheat code, as the Cowboys are almost guaranteed points once they cross the 50-yard line.

"I think he's outstanding," Jerry Jones said of Aubrey at the NFL Combine. "Love his story, love the fact that the story is with the Cowboys."

Aubrey's story is truly incredible. He was previously a software engineer at GM Financial before deciding to try his luck as a kicker. That led to him entering the USFL, which he parlayed into an opportunity with the Cowboys.

Now, he's the best and highest-paid kicker in the NFL.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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