The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 4th and it feels safe to say that we all expect the Dallas Cowboys to do something.
An argument can be made that the Cowboys would be best served to be sellers at the deadline. Within this idea lies the uncomfortable notion of trading away someone like George Pickens. Pickens is a wonderful player and trading him would significantly hurt this season’s team, but this season’s team has sort of sealed their own fate. With Pickens in a contract year and the Cowboys have a, um, history with situations like that, this is how people reach that uncomfortable idea as a discussion point.
So we are clear these are just things being thrown out for ideas. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell did something similar in suggesting players that teams who should be sellers should consider moving on from. Barnwell had the Cowboys as a team who should sell if this isn’t obvious, and while he didn’t include Pickens in his write-up, he did note a few interesting names including Brandon Aubrey.
Notable trade candidates: WR Jonathan Mingo, RB Javonte Williams, DT Mazi Smith, DT Kenny Clark, Edge Sam Williams, Edge James Houston, K Brandon Aubrey
Well, you’ve watched the Cowboys’ defense. At 3-4-1 and with a stretch of games against the Eagles, Chiefs and Lions later this season, it’s tough to envision the Cowboys making it to the postseason, let alone doing anything once there. Jerry Jones has proudly bragged about the draft picks the Cowboys got for Micah Parsons and how they might help Dallas land a handful of valuable players, but barring something unexpected, those picks aren’t going to make a difference in 2025.
I would be stunned if the Cowboys traded Aubrey, but I’m throwing him out here more as a thought experiment than anything else. A going-nowhere Cowboys team doesn’t have much use for Aubrey, and although kickers can play into their 40s, the former soccer player is already 30 years old. He’s obviously a valuable player, but Aubrey is eligible for an extension next offseason, and the Cowboys need to save money around Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to address their defense.
Most teams aren’t going to trade a premium pick for a kicker, but Aubrey is so good that I wonder whether all-in teams might be willing to make an exception. Would someone like the Rams be willing to offer the Cowboys a second-round pick for Aubrey? My guess is no, but it’s fun to think about.
Williams, having a career season on a one-year deal at running back for a team that clearly sees running backs as replaceable in the post-Ezekiel Elliott era, would also have an interesting market.
Brandon Aubrey is perhaps the best kicker in the NFL. Moving on from him, at least the idea of doing so, sounds preposterous. You have to consider that Barnwell is exploring all potential options and discussing the merit of them.
Trading away Aubrey would be a clear punt on the season, no pun intended given that Aubrey plays special teams, which is pretty uncharacteristic of the Cowboys. Of all of the names suggested here, Aubrey might command the most in a would-be trade, although that says more about the rest of the list than it does Aubrey (it is definitely interesting to think what Aubrey could fetch on a hypothetical trade market).
You will note that Kenny Clark is also listed as an option from Barnwell. Clark was included in a previous trade that the Cowboys made, the one in which they sent away Micah Parsons right before the season began.
It should be noted that there was some strange reporting (also from ESPN) in the aftermath of the Parsons trade regarding Clark. It was specifically shared how the Cowboys valued Clark’s contract and specifically that it was one that had escapability in 2026. Keep in mind that the Cowboys told ESPN this while telling the public that Clark was a must-have in the trade for both the present and the future.
Clark, a staple of the Packers defense since entering the league in 2016, was hardly a throw-in. His contract was attractive — Green Bay had already paid him the bulk of his 2025 deal, so the Cowboys would pay him just $2 million this season, and $20 million unguaranteed next season. A two-year, $22 million deal for a high-level player was viewed as a win for a Dallas team that sees the 29-year-old Clark as a multiyear solution, and there would also be no dead money if the Cowboys chose to release him after the season.
“From our perspective, it had to include Kenny Clark,” a source close to Jones said. “The only way it worked for us, we need something that helps us now and helps us in the future.”
Back to Aubrey. He has something in common with the George Pickens who we mentioned up top. Aubrey is in the final year of his current contract which means the Cowboys are going to have to figure something out if they want to keep him around long-term. As noted with Pickens, that isn’t necessarily their specialty in terms of accomplishing it in an efficient manner. This also serves as an “argument” for trading him, if you want to have those kinds of discussions.
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