The unorthodox trip to the NFL leaves Aubrey financially strapped. In three years, he has earned less than $3 million in total ($2.695 million, on Over The Cap).
Nor will the kicker escape unchecked on the open market. As a restricted free agent, the Cowboys can place an offer on the kicker to ensure they get something in return if Aubrey were to sign with another team. A second-round bid would pay the bidder $5.8 million. The Cowboys would get a second-round pick if another team signed Aubrey and Dallas refused to match it.
The second-round tender number alone would make Aubrey the third-highest paid kicker in the NFL behind Super Bowl winners Harrison Butker ($6.4 million) and Jake Elliott ($6 million).
Given that Aubrey has become a huge weapon, putting the Cowboys in potential scoring range as soon as they hit the middle, it seems like a given that he will be the highest paid kicker in the NFL. The question is how much beyond Butker he will fly.
“We’ve had discussions with Aubrey even before the season started,” Cowboys general manager Stephen Jones told reporters last week. “It’s been a journey but we haven’t been able to get to the point where we can all agree. We haven’t got there but we’d love to get it done.”