For the Cowboys, as long as Jerry Jones has been running the show, getting top-level contracts to players who are at the top of their positions across the league has not been a particularly easy process. And it might sound worthy of a chuckle at first blush, but it shouldn’t: Jones and the Cowboys could well find themselves in that same kind of contract standoff with the team’s kicker, Brandon Aubrey.
It won’t rise to the level of the Cowboys’ negotiations on new deals with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott last year, but Aubrey is, indeed, heading into free agency. He can be a restricted free-agent under NFL rules–allowing the Cowboys to match offers for him–but this is a case in which the team ought to simply be aggressive in getting its two-time All-Pro locked up on a fair market deal.
And that deal is likely to be a record-setter.
That’s the view from the NFL contract expert website Spotrac, where manager editor Mike Ginnitti points out that kickers are more important than ever. Aubrey, being the best in the business, should expect to be paid accordingly.
Said Ginnitti on “The Spotrac Podcast” this week: “One of the bigger takeaways halfway through 2025 is not just how successful kickers are, but the length, the distance. Now they’re using kicker balls, a lot of things happening, the league is promoting this kind of thing especially with the kickoff changes. But there’s no question, especially with a player like Brandon Aubrey, that his importance to the Dallas Cowboys’ scoring—and scoring is all Dallas does—is maximized. …
“Jerry Jones is gonna have to just bend on this one and just give this player the extension that he is worthy of because he is basically an offensive weapon for this team. And he has paid CeeDee Lamb, he has paid Jake Ferguson and he has paid Dak Prescott, of course, a couple of times. This is just the next guy in line.”
As we have seen, Jones and the Cowboys are increasingly unwilling to “bend” on contracts, and wound up simply trading away Micah Parsons once that situation fell apart. But Aubrey’s value is clear. He is 17-for-18 on field-goal attempts this season, and has a 64-yarder to his credit. In his career, he has made 90.3% of his field goals, and 96.4% on extra points.
Kicker who produce that way can’t be treated as afterthoughts.
“(Kickers) need to be treated as more than just special teamers because the amount of points, the amount of consistency, the amount of reliance they’re being asked to be taking on from their respective teams is as great as it has ever been in the game,” Ginnitti said.
Entering the season, the highest paid kicker in the league was Harrison Butker of the Chiefs, who got a four-year, $25 million contract that started last year. But that $6.4 million per year is not likely to stand, not with the way that kicking has been emphasized across the league this year.
Combine that with an expected spike in the salary cap, and Aubrey is in prime position to clean up.
“The cap jumps to $300, maybe $305 (million) next year, you aren’t crazy to start hearing four for $32 million for Brandon Aubrey,” Ginnitti said.
“I think we’re heading toward $8 million a year for kickers, not just because of the cap increase, the cash increase and the flux that brings, but it feels like this position is more important than it has been in years if not decades to these NFL teams and their respective offenses. We’ve got guys doing it at a very high level who are going to need a contract this offseason.”
Caleb Williams knows the challenge that’s coming on Sunday, and he also seems aware of a way he can uniquely combat the various looks Brian Flores will throw at him.
In each of Brian Flores’ three years as defensive coordinator, the Minnesota Vikings have led or are leading the league in blitz rate. But he also uniquely marries that with amoeba-like coverage schemes, complete with late shifts to send quarterbacks into disarray.
In three games against Flores’ defense, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been objectively fine, completing 62.8 percent of his passes with four touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 93.6 passer rating. The Bears have also lost all three games, heading into the next matchup in Week 11.
Back in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings blitzed Williams less than has been typical over Flores’ time running the defense (18 of his 44 dropbacks; 40.9 percent). That rate is actually not that far below the Vikings’ season-long blitz rate of 42.2 percent, but injuries to some key personnel certainly impacted how often Flores sent extra rushers earlier in the season.
Williams spoke to the media on Wednesday, and he was asked multiple questions about the challenge of going against Flores.
“I would say he’s probably one of the more challenging coaches that I’ve had to go against so far in my career,”
Williams said. “Obviously, I haven’t played every single team yet and every single defensive coordinator, but up to this point, he’s been that (the toughest defensive coordinator Williams has faced).”
“It’s all 70-plus plays that you have or so. It’s a full mental test. Every single play, he challenges you to reach your full mental capacity”, Williams continued. “This is always a fun game, going against Flo and his defense and the players he has on that side of the ball. Like I said, it’s always fun going up against a defensive coordinator and a team like this.”
“You just understand that you have to be as close to perfect as you can be. Practice and the small details all matter. Protecting the football, the routes, the depth, the spacing, my timing, everything matters.”
Back in Week 1 against Minnesota, Williams went 21-for-35 for 210 yards with one touchdown, no interceptions, and an 86.6 passer rating while also taking two sacks. He also had six carries for 58 yards and a rushing touchdown in that game.
After a downward trend in his production as a runner, Williams has 116 rushing yards over the last two games, and he fully understands the differentiating threat he can be with his legs.
To combat whatever Flores might have up his sleeve on Sunday, Williams’ instincts as a runner will be just as important to the success of the Bears’ offense as what he does as a passer.