The Dallas Cowboys know they have serious work to do before free agency, and extending Javonte Williams was the first sign that they’re not waiting around.
Jerry and Stephen Jones are notorious for dragging contract decisions to the eleventh hour, but this offseason feels different. What they do with George Pickens will be the ultimate test of that urgency, but they’re off to a promising start.
This week's NFL Combine will serve as a temperature check of where things stand with Pickens. History suggests that the deal will take a while to materialize, with a franchise tag potentially entering the picture to take Pickens off the market.
In the meantime, the Cowboys are working to extend star kicker Brandon Aubrey, per Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News.
“We’ve been working on a long-term deal for some time,” Stephen Jones told The Dallas Morning News. “We’ve exchanged offers and the goal is to get him signed. We’ll tender him before the deadline if that’s what we have to decide.”
The Dallas Cowboys are in contract talks with kicker Brandon Aubrey
There’s an argument to be made that Aubrey is the Cowboys’ best player. A kicker rarely qualifies for that distinction, but Aubrey is the exception because he’s a unicorn at the position.
Aubrey is a restricted free agent, meaning Dallas can place either a first- or second-round tender on him. While Aubrey can still negotiate with other teams if he receives a tender, it serves as built-in protection for Dallas.
If Aubrey were to receive a stronger offer elsewhere, the Cowboys would have the right to match it. If they decline, the signing team would owe Dallas a first-round pick as compensation. The same framework applies to a second-round tender.
It’s safe to assume no team would surrender a first- or second-round pick for a kicker, making a long-term extension the clear best outcome for everyone involved. And it's nothing less than Aubrey deserves after taking the NFL by storm as a rookie in 2023.
Aubrey already owns an NFL record with six made field goals from 60 yards or longer. He made more history in Dallas' Week 14 loss to Detroit last season when he became the first kicker in league history to drill three field goals of 55 yards or longer in a single game.
The 30-year-old was on pace for another historic campaign in 2025, but he missed four of his final 13 kicks to drop his conversion rate to 87.5 percent. He finished 11-of-17 on attempts longer than 50 yards, though it's worth noting that he attempted three more from that range than any other kicker.
Aubrey is arguably the league's most dangerous kicker. Assuming he resets the market, the Cowboys would have to offer him more than $6.5 million per year. That seems reasonable given how much he means to the offense.