It was written in the stars that the Dallas Cowboys would place the franchise tag on George Pickens. What was unexpected, though, was Dallas slapping Pickens with the non-exclusive franchise tag, which gives Pickens the freedom to negotiate with other teams once free agency opens.
However, it gives Jerry Jones even more leverage. If the Cowboys decline to match a potential offer sheet, they’d receive compensation equivalent to two first-round picks.
That feels unlikely, but the non-exclusive tag would at least give Dallas a clearer read on Pickens’ market, and that alone could make all the difference at the negotiation table.
But enough about Pickens. Now that he’s been tagged, the Cowboys should sit down with Brandon Aubrey and not get up until a new deal is signed.
The Dallas Cowboys extending Brandon Aubrey feels obvious after George Pickens franchise tag
The Cowboys reportedly offered Aubrey a deal that would have made him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker, though it didn’t eclipse $7 million per year. Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs leads the position at $6.4 million annually, and Dallas’ offer was said to be slightly north of that.
Reports that Aubrey’s agent, Todd France, countered with a $10 million demand were slightly overblown. The Cowboys’ offer didn’t meet expectations, and France likely came back with a high (some would say delusional) opening number to frame the rest of the negotiations.
The mixed reports haven’t created friction, though, as Stephen Jones and Brian Schottenheimer have both voiced confidence that Aubrey will be back in Dallas.
"…I believe we can get a deal done with Brandon…we’ll continue to roll up our sleeves and hopefully maybe who knows maybe we can get this thing done in the next week to 10 days," Jones told CBS Sports.
The Cowboys even tried to sign Aubrey before the 2025 season. Talks have been more difficult than anticipated, but Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted that they've been "positive" at the NFL Combine. It's just a matter of figuring out the numbers.
Of course, Dallas has to draw a line somewhere.
Matching the $8 million per year that Javonte Williams just secured would be difficult to justify. As great as Aubrey is, a kicker shouldn’t make the same as your bellcow running back. Williams touches the ball roughly 15 more times per game, and that doesn't account for his impact in pass protection.
Aubrey is arguably the best kicker in the NFL, but the gap between him and the rest of the elite tier isn’t wide enough to justify paying more than $8 million per year. Some would argue it's not wide at all, given the depth of quality kickers around the league.
With both sides motivated to reach an agreement, cooler heads should prevail, and Aubrey should be back in Dallas doing what he does best on a market-setting contract.