FRISCO, Texas — The life story of Brandon Aubrey might one day become a movie you'd be foolish to not tune into, and there aren't many humans on the planet who can even remotely relate to the pressure of overcoming adversity to earn a single shot as an undrafted kicker in the NFL, and for the Dallas Cowboys, no less, who were also desperate to find a long term answer at the position.
One person does understand, however, and his name is Dan Bailey.
The legendary Cowboys' kicker, affectionately known as "Money", became the platinum standard for which all others in Dallas will perpetually be measured by.
The search for his successor spanned several seasons and suffered through many failed experiments — e.g., Greg Zuerlein, Brett Maher (more than once), Tristan Vizcaino — before the dice were rolled on Aubrey midway through training camp in 2023, when he forced Vizcaino out of Oxnard and went on to have, in more ways than one, the best start to a kicking career in the history of the NFL.
"As far as the first couple of years in the league, yeah, [I can relate], but he's on a whole other level right now," said Bailey, a former All-Pro kicker himself. "It's been fun to watch him. He's just been lights out. I mean, I guess on some level, I can relate to playing here and having what it takes, but he doesn't need any advice from me.
"He's doing just fine on his own. … He doesn't need any hints or tips from me. He's got it figured out."
Currently dabbling heavily in real estate as a part of his retirement, and with a possible eye on using his pilot's license to fly aircraft for a commercial airliner, Bailey knows what it means to stay grounded while also soaring above the rest of the pack.
He began his career as an UDFA with the Cowboys, competing with three other kickers at the time before winning the job as a rookie in 2011. He'd earn a nod on the PFWA All-Rookie Team that very season, and the rest is history, both literally speaking and in terms of making it.
His accuracy was lethal and, for most of his career with the Cowboys, he was the single most consistent weapon on the roster. It was a career that spanned seven seasons before he and the team parted ways following the 2017 season — marking a half-decade of inconsistency and woes at kicker before Aubrey got a look after his stint in the spring football league.
At one point in late September 2023, it was evident Aubrey was worthy of coronation to a throne once owned by Bailey.
For it was Bailey who convinced owner and general manager Jerry Jones that a franchise kicker could, in fact, be located without using a draft pick on one. It took several more attempts in the post-Bailey era to hit the jackpot, but it finally happened.
For Bailey's part, what he sees in Aubrey is a mental strength that matches the power in his right leg.
For a position that is predicated as much on the ability to stay level mentally as it is the skill to deliver physically, Bailey says Aubrey is excelling at the former as much as the latter.
The fact Aubrey continues to focus on his next kick, and never his last, has earned him several accolades as he begins to dig into Year 2, where he's already booted two 60+ yarders this season (his 65-yarder being a franchise record), a 94.1 career accuracy percentage and, quiet as it's kept, salute from from the kicker who blazed a path for Aubrey.
"Yeah, I think it could be a trap if you let it be, you know?" said the retired Pro Bowler of having tunnel vision, no matter what. "I think you just have to go back to relying on knowing what you're doing, that you've done it a thousand times, and just let that take over. If you start worrying about maybe you're on a streak, or maybe it's a quote, unquote more important kick, a game winner, or to go up at the end —you can't worry about that.
"You've just gotta approach it just like you're out there practicing. … It's really that simple."
It's always a beautiful thing to see legends appreciate what's taking place in the years that follow their reign, and you can count Bailey in as one who does.
Money is all about the Butter.
"I think it's all set up for him to succeed," he said of the bright future ahead of Aubrey. "He's making the most of his opportunity, and it's fun to watch, for sure. He's such a good ball striker — consistent, effortless, and not a lot of wasted motion. He's doing a really good job."
"... I think the guys that are level-headed tend to stick around a lot longer."
If anyone knows that to be true, it's Dan Bailey, the right leg that defined a decade.
