The Dallas Cowboys are the talk of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Will owner Jerry Jones choose to be aggressive and package the Cowboys’ Nos. 12 and 20 overall picks to move into the top five to select a defensive star?
Who knows? That’s the rumor, but draft week annually over-indexes in rumors that may or may not be based in fact.
There is one piece of news that Cowboys can trust as concrete: Dallas locked up All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey.
On Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Aubrey has become the NFL’s highest-paid kicker by agreeing to a four-year, $28 million extension. The deal includes $20 million in guaranteed money.
Aubrey, 31, was a restricted free agent, and the Cowboys placed a second-round tender on Aubrey on March 7 in hopes of reaching a long-term deal.
Similarly, Dallas placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, allowing him to negotiate with other teams while giving the Cowboys the right to match any competing offer.
Jones said at the time the Cowboys “very clearly” want to work out a long-term deal to keep Pickens in Dallas, but the wide receiver market is much pricier than the kicker market. Seattle signing Jaxson Smith-Njigba to a four-year, $168.6 million extension last month likely made Dallas’ negotiations with Pickens trickier.
While keeping Pickens will be crucial for the Cowboys to maintain a high-scoring offense, Aubrey’s kicking leg is one of the best weapons in the league. The former Major League Soccer player led the NFL with 65 yards as his longest made kick in the 2024 season, and his longest made kick last season was 64 yards. His career field goal percentage is 88.2%
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