Aldon Smith - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Aldon Smith

April 11th, 2018 at 5:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent edge rusher Aldon Smith was arrested yet againÂ last week, and the details on his latest are episode are extremely troubling, as Evan Sernoffsky of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (all Twitter links).

Smith had a blood alcohol level of .40 when he went to the San Francisco sheriff’s office on Friday, a range which is typically associated with the “onset of coma, likelihood of death,” per Sernoffsky. After being taken into custody, Smith appeared in court today, and is likely to remain in jail until at least Friday. At that point, Smith will likely be transferred to a rehab facility.

Smith, of course, has been no stranger to off-field incidents since being selected in the first round of the 2011 draft, and a recent domestic violence altercation was just the latest in a string of troubling incidents. The Raiders quickly released Smith following that episode earlier this month, and it’s becoming obvious that Smith will never play in the NFL again.

While his disturbing behavior will likely keep him off NFL rosters, Smith was once an excellent talent. During his first two seasons in the league, Smith posted an astounding 33.5 sacks, and even managed to put up 8.5 sacks during an abbreviated 2013 campaign.

Aldon Smith Arrested

April 8th, 2018 at 10:24am CST by Rory Parks

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Aldon Smith, who had a bench warrant issued for him at the end of March for failing to appear at a hearing — and who was arrested just a week before for violating a protective order stemming from a domestic violence incident — was arrested again on Friday. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via TMZ), Smith’s most recent arrest was due to his violating the terms of his electronic monitoring (he currently wears a GPS and a device that measures alcohol in his sweat, though it is unclear which of those devices triggered the arrest).

Bail has been set at $500K, and another hearing is set for April 11. He currently remains incarcerated, according to San Francisco County Jail records, and in addition to the underlying domestic violence charges, he is now facing three separate contempt of court charges. The TMZ report also indicated that Smith’s fiance, Shawna McKnight, has decided to end her relationship with Smith.

It was already almost a foregone conclusion that Smith, the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft, would never suit up in the NFL again after the Raiders released him a month ago. But in just 59 career regular season games, he posted 47.5 sacks (to go along with 5.5 sacks in eight postseason contests), so he was certainly on pace to be an all-time great pass-rusher. Now one just has to hope he can get his post-football life on track.

He has not seen the field since November 15, 2015, which will likely go down as his last NFL game.

Arrest Warrant Issued For Aldon Smith

March 29th, 2018 at 6:57pm CST by Ryan Posner

A bench warrant has been issued for free agent Aldon Smith after he failed to appear in court Thursday in a protective order stemming from his arrest on charges of alleged domestic violence earlier this month, according to TMZ Sports.

Smith’s attorney claimed that he had never missed a prior court date and that he planned to be present Thursday, per the TMZ Sports report. Smith was charged with four misdemeanors in early March after an alleged altercation with his fiancee. He was also arrested earlier this week after violating a mandate that stated he was to refrain from contact with the victim from the alleged domestic violence incident and he eventually turned himself in to authorities.

The Raiders promptly released Smith earlier this month after the initial domestic violence charges. A series of off-the-field issues led the 49ers to cut the former No. 7 overall pick in August 2015. He latched on with the Raiders and signed a two-year deal to remain in Oakland in April 2016.

Smith last appeared in a game in 2015 with the Raiders, recording 3.5 sacks in just nine games. He showed flashes of greatness on the field in his career, including 41 sacks through his first three seasons. But it appears Smith’s chances of ever suiting up with an NFL team again are slim at best.

Aldon Smith Arrested Again

March 23rd, 2018 at 11:08am CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent linebacker Aldon Smith has been arrested again in San Francisco, reports Evan Sernoffsky of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Smith had been ordered to refrain from contact with a victim involved in a domestic violence incident, but police issued a warrant after Smith violated the mandate. The 28-year-old turned himself into authorities earlier today, per Sernoffsky.

Smith, of course, has been no stranger to off-field incidents since being selected in the first round of the 2011 draft, and the aforementioned domestic violence altercation was just the latest in a string of troubling incidents. The Raiders quickly released Smith following the episode earlier this month, and it’s becoming obvious that Smith will never play in the NFL again.

While his disturbing behavior will likely keep him off NFL rosters, Smith was once an excellent talent. During his first two seasons in the league, Smith posted an astounding 33.5 sacks, and even managed to put up 8.5 sacks during an abbreviated 2013 campaign.

FA Notes: Smith, Keenum, Irving, Waddle

March 12th, 2018 at 5:57pm CST by Ben Levine

After being named as a suspect in an alleged domestic violence incident, the Raiders released linebacker Aldon Smith last week. Today, the edge rusher pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, according to TMZ Sports (via Scott Bair NBC Sports Bay Area on Twitter). The 28-year-old is currently facing “misdemeanor counts of domestic violence, assault, false imprisonment and vandalism.”

The former Pro Bowler hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2015, when he compiled 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three passes defended in nine games (seven starts) for Oakland. Despite re-signing with the organization in 2016, Smith still hasn’t been reinstated. Smith was originally issued a one-year suspension for a hit-and-run incident in 2015.

Let’s take a look at some other notes pertaining to NFL free agency…

Former Vikings starter Case Keenum is pursuing a multi-year, guaranteed deal, reports Mike Jurecki of 98.7FM in Arizona (via Twitter). Meanwhile, former teammate Teddy Bridgewater is reportedly looking for a two-year deal.
ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that the Cowboys are likely to place a tender on restricted free agent David Irving tomorrow. The front office is still deciding whether they should slap the defensive tackle with a first- or second-round tender, which is the difference of about $1.2MM. Despite playing in only eight games, the 24-year-old arguably had his best NFL season in 2017, compiling 22 tackles and seven sacks. Irving missed eight games due to suspension and a concussion.
It’s unlikely the Patriots and offensive tackle LaAdrian Waddle agree to a deal before Wednesday, reports NESN’s Doug Kyed (via Twitter). The 26-year-old is likely to test free agency following a 2017 campaign that saw him play in 12 games (four starts). While the lineman played 380 snaps, Pro Football Focus ranked him 64th among 81 eligible offensive tackle candidates.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets that the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Colts, Broncos, and Redskins are among the teams looking to add a defensive tackle. The reporter lists free agents Dontari Poe, Star Lotulelei, and Sheldon Richardson as potential targets.

Raiders Release LB Aldon Smith

March 5th, 2018 at 2:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Aldon Smith‘s time with the Raiders has officially come to an end. On Monday, the Raiders announced that Smith has been released from his contract.

Smith was named as a suspect in an alleged domestic violence incident over the weekend and cops were searching for him as recently as Sunday night. On Monday morning, TMZ Sports learned that Smith has checked into rehab. Given his history, the Raiders didn’t have to think hard about moving on from Smith.

Smith posted 3.5 sacks for Oakland in nine games during the 2015 season before being hit with a one-year suspension. He also served a nine-game ban in 2013 for violating the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies. Despite all of that, GM Reggie McKenzie handed Smith a two-year, $11.5MM deal in the spring of 2016.

The former first-round pick has not seen the field since November 15, 2015. At this rate, he may never don an NFL jersey again. He’s already under suspension for previous off-the-field incidents, so he’s nowhere near the radar of any club at this time.

Smith stands as one of the greatest wastes of talent in recent NFL history. In his second year as a pro, Smith amassed 19.5 sacks and 66 total tackles for the 49ers, en route to Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selections. Even in an abbreviated 2013 campaign, Smith tallied 8.5 sacks and 34 tackles in 11 contests.

Police Searching For Aldon Smith

March 4th, 2018 at 6:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aldon Smith was identified as a suspect in an alleged domestic violence incident. Police are pursuing Smith, who fled the scene Sunday after this incident occurred, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com reports.

The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries after this alleged altercation, which is believed to have occurred Saturday night, and the San Francisco Police Department has begun a search for the 28-year-old Smith. Bair reports SFPD Special Victims Unit would like to interview Smith upon apprehension.

Smith, who TMZ reported got engaged last week, is currently suspended from the NFL for previous off-the-field infractions. Charges being filed for this would make it difficult to believe he could work his way back into the league.

Bair reports that the two-year Raiders contract Smith signed in 2016 is not believed to have tolled for 2016 but adds that he would still be a member of the Raiders if he were reinstated. While it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever play for the Raiders again, Smith still being tied to the team would seemingly mean the 2017 season did toll.

That seems like immaterial at this point due to the litany of legal issues the former All-Pro outside linebacker has encountered.

Smith cooperated with a domestic violence investigation in February 2017 and was the passenger of a vehicle his girlfriend drove into an unmanned police car in March of last year. Reports from last year did not indicate the former first-round pick was particularly close to being reinstated after he’d applied in fall 2016. It’s quite possible Smith will not play in the NFL again. He has not played in a game since November 2015.

Raiders’ Aldon Smith Not Close To Return

May 16th, 2017 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

It doesn’t sound like we’ll see Aldon Smith reinstated anytime soon. The linebacker has said that he’ll be back soon, but sources close to Smith say that he has made no consistent effort to follow the program laid out for him by the league, sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Those who know him best say that he’ll have one great week followed by a week of the same old problems.

Smith’s camp was pushing for reinstatement late last season, but commissioner Roger Goodell decided to table that discussion until March 2017. In between December and March, Smith found himself under police investigation for an alleged domestic violence incident and in a separate incident was arrested for crashing into a police cruiser while driving drunk. Those events put up major barriers between Smith and a potential return and it sounds like he’s only setting himself back further with his erratic behavior.

Prior to the draft, GM Reggie McKenzie indicated that the Raiders were not banking on having Smith return in 2017.

“Our thought process is on the draft and not considering Aldon at this point,” McKenzie said. “He’s still on the suspension list, so we’re not considering him at this point.”

AFC Notes: Carr, Raiders, Gillislee, Patriots

April 22nd, 2017 at 10:06am CST by Ben Levine

We learned earlier this week that Raiders quarterback Derek Carr wants to wrap up extension talks by the beginning of training camp. General manager Reggie McKenzie stated yesterday that he’d prefer to get a new contract wrapped up as soon as possible, and he expressed optimism that the two sides could come to an agreement.

“I feel good about it,” McKenzie said (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com). “When both sides want to get it done, that’s a great first step. I’m looking forward to getting it done by then.”

Carr had another productive season in 2016, completing 63.8-percent of his passes for 3,937 yards, 28 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the AFC…

Aldon Smith is still under contract with the Raiders, although the linebacker hasn’t taken the field in more than a year after having violated the league’s substance abuse policy. The NFL hasn’t made any move to reinstate the embattled player, and McKenzie isn’t expecting a resolution anytime soon. “Our thought process is on the draft and not considering Aldon at this point,” McKenzie said (via Bair). “He’s still on the suspension list, so we’re not considering him at this point.”
Last offseason, when the Patriots signed restricted free agent wideout Chris Hogan, the Bills immediately made it clear that they wouldn’t be matching the contract. However, Buffalo has taken their time deciding what to do with running back Mike Gillislee, who signed an offer sheet with New England earlier this week. ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss wonders if the delay could be an indication that the Bills are strongly considering matching the offer.
Following the death of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, legal analyst (and ESPN.com writer) Lester Munson writes that the organization may be required to pay his family “a significant sum of money.” The NFLPA says there are “three outstanding grievances” between Hernandez and the Patriots stemming from the team’s refusal to pay the player’s $3.25MM bonus following his initial arrest. “How these are resolved will determine” whether Hernandez’s family will ultimately receive any money from the Patriots.

Aldon Smith Detained By Police

March 9th, 2017 at 3:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Aldon Smith is in more legal trouble. The Raiders pass-rusher was detained after crashing into a police cruiser, according to TMZ (Twitter link). Smith was reportedly drunk at the time of the incident.

This situation is merely the latest in a long line of episodes that have derailed Smith’s once promising career. A series of incidents led to Smith’s release in San Francisco despite excellent production, and while the Raiders have since given him another chance, this may be the end of the road for Smith. Thought to be nearing reinstatement by the NFL, Smith is reportedly also under investigation for an alleged domestic assault.

Smith posted 3.5 sacks for Oakland in nine games during the 2015 season before being hit with a one-year suspension (he also served a nine-game ban in 2013 for violating the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies). Despite that, Oakland handed Smith a two-year, $11.5MM deal last spring, and GM Reggie McKenzie has repeatedly expressed support for the troubled young talent.