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Todd ArcherMar 7, 2026, 12:52 PM ET
- Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.
FRISCO, Texas — Still hoping to sign Pro Bowl kicker Brandon Aubrey to a multiyear extension, the Dallas Cowboys have placed the $5.7 million second-round tender on the restricted free agent, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday.
If a team signs Aubrey to an offer sheet and the Cowboys choose not to match, they would receive a second-round pick in return. Currently the Cowboys do not have a second-round pick in the 2026 draft because of the trade for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
Speaking at the scouting combine, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the team has an offer on the table that would make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs‘ Harrison Butker is the highest-paid kicker at $6.4 million per year.
Sources said the Cowboys’ offer was close to $7 million on average and that Aubrey’s agent, Todd France, has asked for closer to $10 million per year. Negotiations began last summer in training camp but have not progressed.
“It’s been a journey,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said from the combine, “but we hadn’t been able to get to a point where we can all agree, so it hadn’t gotten done. But we’d love to get him done.”
The only restricted free agent to leave a team for a second-round pick was Wes Welker, who was ultimately traded to the New England Patriots from the Miami Dolphins for second- and seventh-round picks in 2007.
While the restricted free agent tender would have Aubrey under contract for 2026 only, the Cowboys could use the franchise tag on him in 2027 to effectively keep him off the free agent market.
Aubrey, who turns 31 next week, has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. He has made the most field goals from 60 yards or more in NFL history with six. Last season, he connected on 11-of-17 field goal attempts from 50 yards or more.
For his career, he has made 112 of 127 field goal attempts with a career-long 65-yarder. In 2025, he connected on 36 of 42 tries, and the six misses were from 51 yards or longer.
