On Tuesday, it certainly looked as though some of the momentum the Dallas Cowboys had amassed here in the 2026 offseason–which has already seen the team hire a new, young defensive coordinator and sign star running back Javonte Williams on a team-friendly deal–was beginning to sputter. Not only was there chatter at the NFL draft combine about George Pickens missing the team’s offseason program if he is on the franchise tag, but there was some stunning news about All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey.

Multiple reports pointed out that Aubrey had turned down a record-breaking contract offer from the Cowboys, with both Clarence Hill of DLLS Cowboys and Calvin Watkins  of the Dallas Morning News noting that Aubrey had been offered $7.5 million per season, a sum that would easily surpass the current kicker contract record on a per-year basis.

The Chiefs‘ Harrison Butker makes $6.4 million, most in league history. But the report from Watkins went further to say that Aubrey wanted more from the Cowboys, and that he was seeking a $10 million per year AAV on his contract. That stunned the NFL world.

Brandon Aubrey on Contract Report: ‘Fake’

Except one thing: It’s hard to say whether that’s actually true, either the Cowboys’ offer or the Aubrey demand. On Wednesday, the radio station 105.3 The Fan in Dallas posted a report about the $10 million demand on its Instagram account, and both Aubrey and his wife, Jenn, had one-word responses.

Aubrey responded on Instagram with: “Fake.”

And Jenn Aubrey wrote much the same: “False.”

Brandon Aubrey’s Agent Has Not Met With Cowboys

It was not specified from either which portion of the reports were not true, whether it was the offer from the Cowboys or the demand from the Aubrey side of things. But Aubrey’s agent, Todd France, posted a video on Instagram showing the Cowboys’ bus parked at the combine in Indianapolis.

As a caption, France wrote, “The NFL combine…where misinformation spreads like wildfire. Looking forward to my meeting with the Cowboys on the bus.”

The implication from France, then, is that the entirety of the reporting on the subject was off, and that he had not yet met with the Cowboys to discuss numbers on a new deal.

Cowboys’ Offer Said to Be Less Than $7 Million

Certainly, given his production for the Cowboys, Aubrey makes sense as a record-breaking kicker in terms of his contract. After three seasons, he has a three first- or second-team All-Pro selections to his credit, and has made 112 of the 127 field goals he has attempted. It is widely expected that he will surpass Butker’s deal this offseason.

But $10 million would be a very significant leap in the kicker market, even as the position has gotten more important.

Former scout Brian Broaddus, who has a pretty good line to what’s going on inside The Star, later appeared on 105.3 and explained the situation. “That part is actually factual, that they did not offer him $7.5 (million),” Broaddus explained. “Where he is at, though–is close to $7 (million). They went above. They went above. Butker is what, six-and-a-half? So they went above, maybe they put $300,000 on that. But the number is, they offered near $7 million, just talking to a couple people here.”

That, indeed, is not quite $7.5 million. Nor is it a $10 million demand from Aubrey.