I spent two years as software engineer but quit to pursue my NFL dream – now I've made history as rookie record breaker

BRANDON Aubrey has gone from writing code as a software engineer to writing records in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys kicker has now scored 19 consecutive field goals, which is the most made without a miss in NFL history.

With his 51-yard effort against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Aubrey broke the old mark of 18 set by the Cleveland Browns' Travis Coons in 2015.

The achievement by the 28-year-old rookie is all the more remarkable considering he never kicked a football in high school or college and was working as software engineer after a professional soccer career did not work out.

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"I had an office job working as a software engineer for GM Financial," Aubrey says. 

"I did it for about a year and a half, but after two months in I realized it wasn't for me. 

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"I needed to get back in athletics, but soccer, I kind of burned out on and it wasn't paying me enough to get through all that."

Originally from Plano, Texas, Aubrey was a soccer prodigy coming out of high school and the defender went on to make 76 appearances for Notre Dame, scoring 15 goals.

In 2017, Aubrey was picked by Toronto FC with the 21st overall pick in the MLS Draft.

Fighting to make his mark against established veterans, free agent signings, Aubrey spent his sole season with Toronto with their second team.

He made 21 appearances before moving to the USL's Bethlehem Steel before being released.

Then in early 2019, watching an NFL kicker miss a kick inspired his wife to tell him: "You could do that."

After training full-time with a coach and on his own in their garage during the pandemic, Aubrey was eventually picked up by the USFL's Birmingham Stallions in 2022.

Two league titles followed while he also made the All-USFL team his first season.

The summer of 2023 offered Aubrey his first taste of the NFL, heading back to Texas to join the Cowboys in training camp.

He made the squad and has thrived ever since.

Aubrey says the careers of a software engineer and NFL kicker are "very different."

"I would say the day-to-day of being a software engineer is more difficult, but obviously the weekend is a lot more difficult for a kicker," he said.