Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey Says Jump From Soccer to NFL Kicking Was Wife's Idea
Dallas's unflappable rookie kicker discussed his transition from soccer to football.
There is a long history of kickers making the jump from soccer to the NFL, from Hall of Famer Morten Andersen to soccer All-American-turned-Super Bowl champion Matt Bahr.
Rarely, however, is the jump from one game to the other as smooth as Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey’s. During this season—his first in the NFL after two in the USFL—he has drained all 30 of his field goal attempts and 39 of his 42 extra point attempts.
After a virtuoso performance in Dallas’s 33–13 win over the Eagles Sunday—during which he made three field goals from beyond 50 yards—Aubrey is enjoying an elevated national profile. He used it to tell the wild story of his introduction to placekicking on The Dan Patrick Show Tuesday afternoon.
#Cowboys Kicker Brandon Aubrey describes the journey of going from a professional soccer player to an NFL kicker.. And how it was his wife's idea to try NFL kicking
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 12, 2023
Full appearance: https://t.co/mofLzTLHuX pic.twitter.com/LzYE6PbwIk
"Obviously, (my) soccer career didn't end the way I wanted it to," Aubrey told Patrick, alluding to his unsuccessful 49-game stint in the United Soccer League from 2017-18.
A computer science major at Notre Dame, Aubrey worked as a software engineer until a crucial moment in 2019.
"My wife, we were sitting there watching football like we did every Sunday," Aubrey recalled. "She mentioned to me in passing, 'I think you could do that.' Having been a professional athlete, I thought she was crazy."
However, Aubrey warmed to the idea and the rest was history.
"I had some success just messing around on the field," Aubrey said. "I figured I got nothing to lose, I can spare some of my free time."