Former San Francisco 49ers edge defender Aldon Smith is coming back to the NFL. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Smith is returning to professional football on a one-year, $4 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys. As of this posting, the exact financial structure of the deal is not available to the public. Smith spent four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and has also played for the Oakland Raiders.
Aldon Smith, soon to be back in the league, gets a 1-year, $4M deal with the #Cowboys. A true comeback story. https://t.co/l1I7TO1oxD
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 2, 2020
Aldon Smith, Dallas Cowboys Agree to Deal
Despite his immense talents, edge defender Aldon Smith hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 season. The pass-rushing threat has had his share of legal battles over the course of his career. Smith last played for the Raiders in 2015 bur received a one-year suspension for a hit-and-run on August 6th, 2015. This was far from his first suspension-worthy offense, as he received a nine-game suspension in 2014 and was arrested in 2013 for suspicion of driving under the influence. Smith applied for reinstatement in 2016 but the NFL didn’t grant his request. In 2018, Smith was involved in an alleged domestic violence incident. Since then, he’s remained out of trouble and looks to continue his self-sabotaged NFL career.
Smith initially entered the NFL as a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Selected by the San Francisco 49ers, Smith spent the majority of his rookie season as a situational pass-rusher. Appearing in all 16 games, the rookie recorded 14 sacks while playing limited snaps. He proved to be even better in a full-time role, as he recorded 19.5 sacks, 29 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles in 2012. He won First-Team All-Pro honors and was one of the biggest reasons the 49ers made it all the way to the Super Bowl. However, he struggled to stay on the field over the next two seasons, and San Francisco moved on prior to the 2015 season. The Raiders decided to give him a try and signed him to a one-year deal. Smith ended up appearing in nine games while recording 3.5 sacks.
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