“It is a Steal” – Cowboys Making Brandon Aubrey the Highest-Paid Kicker in NFL Impresses Skip Bayless

Brandon Aubrey held off for a $10 million/APY extension but had to eventually settle for a $7 million APY with the Dallas Cowboys.

“It is a Steal” – Cowboys Making Brandon Aubrey the Highest-Paid Kicker in NFL Impresses Skip Bayless

Brandon Aubrey and Skip Bayless (Image via IMAGO/X)

In Short
  • Brandon Aubrey signed a four-year, $28 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys, making him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.
  • Skip Bayless praised the Cowboys for retaining Aubrey, highlighting his crucial role in winning games for the team.
  • Aubrey has scored over 150 points each year since 2023 and holds multiple records for long field goals in the league.

Brandon Aubrey signing a $28 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys has even a skeptic like Skip Bayless excited. Bayless is not a fan of kicking. From his perspective, the NFL should dissolve the kicker position because it does not belong in football.

That same Bayless praised the Cowboys for successfully retaining one of the best kickers in football, possibly in the history of the sport, Aubrey. Bayless acknowledged that Aubrey has often bailed his favorite Cowboys out from the brink of losing games.

Since 2023, Aubrey has scored 150+ points each year. In 51 games, he has accumulated 462 total points while maintaining a staggering 88.2% accuracy in field goal attempts and 96.9% in extra points.

In 2024, Aubrey converted a 65-yard field goal (the longest by any Cowboys kicker and one of the longest in the league’s history). Aubrey also holds the record for most field goals scored from 60+ yards with 6.

Signing a match-winner, Aubrey’s caliber has Bayless ecstatic because the Cowboys nearly lost him to a different team after Dallas refused to pay him his desired $10 million APY. The Cowboys put a second-round tender on him, which gave them time to continue negotiations. Aubrey also had the freedom to seek a contract with a different team.

However, no other team came forward with a suitable offer. After the deadline ended last week, Aubrey opted to sign a four-year $28 million ($20 million guaranteed) or a $7 million APY contract with the Cowboys. Bayless believes that Aubrey’s deal is a “steal” for the Cowboys, considering he deserves to earn around $10 to $12 million a year due to his contributions. And he’s only 31 years old, and if he stays healthy, he can continue to wear the star on his helmet for the next two decades.

Brandon Aubrey for $7 million/year for 4 years is a steal… [The Cowboys] put a second-round tender on him, and I thought somebody’s gonna make a run at him, and nobody did, because the league does not value kickers. So, to me, a guy who can win you 4 or 5 games a year at only $7 million/year… Thank God for my Dallas Cowboys.

Skip Bayless said on The Arena Gridiron

Aubrey is now the highest-paid kicker in the league. The Houston Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn is second with $6.5 million APY, followed by three-time Super Bowl champion Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, earning $6.4 million APY.

From ditching soccer to becoming the highest-paid kicker in football is a big achievement for Brandon Aubrey

Football wasn’t Aubrey’s first preference when choosing a sport in school. Aubrey was a better soccer player, so he decided to pursue a career in it. He was recruited by the University of Notre Dame soccer program, where he learned the role of a center back.

"It is a Steal" - Cowboys Making Brandon Aubrey the Highest-Paid Kicker in NFL Impresses Skip Bayless
#17 Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey (Image via IMAGO)

After graduation, he was drafted by Toronto FC of the MLS. However, the challenging environment of professional soccer did not suit him. He left soccer to take a job as a software engineer for GM Financial.

His wife, Jenn, encouraged him to try out for kicking in football. After office hours, Aubrey practiced kicking and got good enough to receive an invitation for the USFL (now UFL) draft. The Birmingham Stallions drafted Aubrey in 2022. With Aubrey as the starting kicker, the Stallions won the USFL championship in back-to-back years.

Following the 2023 season, the Stallions terminated Aubrey’s contract, allowing him to sign with the Cowboys. Nearly four years later, he’s the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.

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