Two seasons, two Pro Bowls for Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, as he heads into another offseason as a consensus top boot in the NFL.
For Aubrey, it seems like yesterday that he was arriving at training camp having to earn a spot on the roster for the 2023 season. A little over 16 months later, the conversation has shifted to his name among the elites around the league.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Aubrey said. “It feels like it’s gone by incredibly fast. I’m just trying to sit back and enjoy the ride. Just trying to survive week-to-week, then I look backwards and [see] I had a good year.”
One big difference for Aubrey heading into his third season will be the absence of special teams coordinator John Fassel, who departed Dallas for the same position with the Tennessee Titans. Fassel discovered Aubrey when he was playing in the USFL for the Birmingham Stallions and developed him over his first two seasons.
“He’s a good friend, a mentor,” Aubrey said. “He’s someone who discovered me and started my NFL career off right. I came into training camp battling for position, and they could’ve strung that decision out for a long time, but they made it nice and quick for me. It gave me a lot of confidence and built me up. He gave me every opportunity to succeed.”
While Fassel has been crucial in his development, Aubrey said that his kicking coach – the same one he’s had since he started kicking in 2020 – will remain the same.
“For me, it’s a separate kicking coach, and that’s the way it works best,” he said. “I’m not sure how it works outside of Dallas, I know other coaches might have more of a hands-on approach. But for me, I’ve got a coach I’ve worked with for five, six years now. He knows me as well as I know me.”
While he hasn’t had a chance to meet his new special teams coordinator, Nick Sorensen, he has done some talking with fellow players on what to expect from his new coach.
“We’ve got Nick Sorensen coming in, who I had a chance at the Pro Bowl to talk to two of his former specialists and they absolutely raved about him,” he said. “I’m excited to get to meet him and start working with him.”
With the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as head coach, Aubrey is looking forward to building on the continuity from the previous regime with Schottenheimer now at the helm. He has a message for the people that are doubting his ability to do the job.
“He’s got a sharp mind, he knows football,” he said. “He’s been around it his entire life, never had an opportunity to be a head coach so obviously you can’t judge anyone at a job until they get a chance to do it. I think we got to give him a chance and let him roll, I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.”
Aubrey is heading into the final season of his three-year contract with the Cowboys. As he has cemented himself as one of the top kickers in the league, he could be in line for a record-setting extension for the kicker position. Last offseason, he hired renowned agent Todd France – who is also Dak Prescott’s agent – as he prepares for a payday on his next deal.
As for if that could come soon, Aubrey is leaving that in the hands of the money handlers.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Aubrey said on if he’d want to work on that this offseason. “I’m eligible for an extension so it’s up to my agent to go up to the Cowboys and see if there’s any interest in signing it there early. If an extension comes then an extension comes. If not, I’m still making ten times what I was making working code [prior to football], so I’m pretty happy.”