FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys 2023 First-Team All Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey had been playing football nonstop for about a year between playing in the USFL with the Birmingham Stallions and then joining the Cowboys last season.
This offseason has provided Aubrey, who made his first 36 NFL field goals and set the league's single-season record for touchbacks (99), a much-needed break.
"It's gone well," Aubrey said when asked about his offseason process at the 2024 Reliant Home Run Derby in which all of the proceeds went toward the Salvation Army. "[I] rested, got healthy, relaxed and took a mental break. It's my first break since before the USFL season, so it's been a full year of going strong [until now]. … You don't really realize where you're at until you slow down and stop. There was maybe a little bit of mental fatigue sticking in there, some fatigue in that leg, so it was good to get that break."
Aubrey's body also forced him to kick back, relax and hang out on the couch with family: He had appendicitis. However, in an age where players are opting out of participating in the Pro Bowl regularly, the first-year NFL player did everything in his power to be there in Las Vegas for the event. He delayed the procedure to remove his appendix until he returned home to Texas following the Pro Bowl's conclusion in early February.
"Some forced R&R there," Aubrey said laughing. "I had it out [removed] the day after the Pro Bowl. … It was four days before the Pro Bowl when it started hurting, so I went to the doctor and they checked it out. They did a scan and said, 'Yeah, you've got appendicitis.' I wanted to be at the Pro Bowl, so they gave me some antibiotics instead of taking it out then and there, to give me 10 days, and then I made it through the Pro Bowl then got it [removed] when I got home."
He is the second Dallas Cowboy to need their appendix out in the last calendar year as head coach Mike McCarthy also underwent a procedure to deal with acute appendicitis back in Week 14 last season. Aubrey did not take any advice about going through it from his head coach, opting to exclusively take notes from medical professionals. As for his approach to an encore to his 2023 in which he went 36 for 38 on field goals, the kicker is opting for a fresh start. He will not put an emphasis on trying to replicate everything from this past year.
"It's rinse and reset," Aubrey said. "You just want to go out there and perform every game. I thought about it this offseason, enjoyed it and then put it on the shelf; and I've moved on to this year. This year is gonna be its own thing, and I've gotta go out and make sure it's a good year as well."
Who knows, maybe Aubrey will be able to make a return trip to the Pro Bowl in a much healthier state next season.
