Edge rusher Aldon Smith was once a force to be reckoned with around the NFL. However, he hasn’t played in a professional football game since 2015.
That isn’t stopping the Dallas Cowboys from signing Smith to see if he can recapture some of that past success, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.
Breaking: The #dallascowboys have signed former Pro Bowl LB/DE Aldon Smith to a one-year, marking the end of a 4-year absence. Clean and sober now, incredible how much he’s turned his life around. @NFLonFOX @dallascowboys
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) April 2, 2020
Smth, now 30, was the seventh overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2011 NFL Draft. After a being named to the All-Rookie team, netting 14 sacks in 2011, he recorded 19.5 sacks in his second campaign. That season, he was named first-team All-Pro.
He looked primed to be one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers for years to come.
Some more Aldon Smith stuff: 2020 base: $910k and $40,625 every time he is on gameday roster. $90k if reinstated. $100k when he shows up to training camp and he can get up to $2 million in sack incentives. He can also earn up to $440k in roster bonuses before start of the year.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) April 2, 2020
Things did not turn out that way, though. Smith had a string of run-ins with the league or police that included violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, three DUI’s, and domestic violence allegations.
Smith was suspended for one year by the NFL and has since been reinstated.
He signed a two-year contract with the Oakland Raiders during the 2015 offseason after being cut by the 49ers. However, Smith would only play in nine games for the Raiders before they released him.
For his career, he has 47.5 sacks and 180 total tackles, including 51 for loss.
