Aldon Smith

Aldon Jacarus Smith (born September 25, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Smith was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection with the 49ers in 2012. He also played for the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

Early life
Smith was born in Greenwood, Mississippi. He attended Raytown High School in Raytown, Missouri, where he played for the Raytown Bluejays high school football team. As a senior, Smith recorded 60 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, while adding seven forced fumbles, one blocked punt, and a safety on defense, while on offense, he caught 34 passes for 570 yards and four touchdowns as a tight end.

Considered only a three-star recruit by the Rivals.com recruiting network, Smith was considered the No. 5 overall prospect (any position) in the state of Missouri as well as the No. 27 strongside defensive end in the nation. He chose Mizzou over Nebraska, Kansas, and Kansas State, among others.

College career
Smith played for the Missouri Tigers football team under head coach Gary Pinkel while attending the University of Missouri from 2008 to 2010. After being redshirted as a freshman in 2008, Smith started 11 of 13 games at defensive end in 2009. He finished the season with 60 tackles and 11 sacks. Smith was named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and a first-team freshman All-American. As a sophomore in 2010, he played in nine games, recording 48 tackles and six sacks.

After the season, Smith announced that he would forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the 2011 NFL draft.

College awards and honors

 * 2009 First-team Freshman All-American (College Football News, Phil Steele)
 * 2009 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year (Associated Press)
 * 2009 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year (Coaches)
 * 2009 Hendricks Award Watch List
 * 2009 Second-team All-Big 12 (Associated Press)
 * 2009 Honorable mention All-Big 12 (Coaches)
 * 2009 Team Defensive Lineman of the Year Award
 * 2009 Team Freshman of the Year Award

Pre-draft
Playing as a defensive end at Missouri, Smith was considered a "DE/OLB prospect" by most NFL scouts and was considered a strong edge run defender as 4–3 end or 3–4 linebacker. Many scouts had compared him to DeMarcus Ware. Prior to the 2011 NFL draft, Smith was projected to be selected in the mid-late first round by mock draft analysis.

2011 season
The San Francisco 49ers drafted Smith in the first round with the seventh overall pick.

Smith did not start but made his NFL debut in the season-opening 33–17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, recording a pass deflection. Three weeks later against the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith recorded five tackles and his first 1.5 sacks on Michael Vick in the narrow 24–23 victory. Over the next two weeks, Smith would win the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week in victories against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. After a strong October, Smith became the first 49ers player since linebacker Patrick Willis in 2007 to earn the NFL Rookie of the Month award; Smith recorded 13 tackles and 6.5 sacks, including one that forced a safety as he helped the 49ers to a 6–1 record.

During a Week 15 20–3 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, Smith recorded four tackles and 2.5 sacks. He also surpassed Charles Haley for the 49ers record for most sacks by a rookie in a single season with 13.0 sacks.

Smith finished his rookie year with 37 total tackles, 14 sacks, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 16 games. He was half a sack shy of tying the all-time rookie sack record held by defensive end Jevon Kearse despite not starting a single game in his rookie season. Smith was named Defensive Rookie of the Year by Pro Football Writers of America, and finished second to Von Miller for the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Smith was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.

2012 season
After being used only as a situational pass rusher throughout his rookie year, Smith became a full-time starter in 2012.

During the season-opening 30–22 road victory over the Green Bay Packers, Smith recorded four tackles and sacked Aaron Rodgers once. In the next game against the Detroit Lions, Smith recorded six tackles and 1.5 sacks as the 49ers won by a score of 27–19. Two weeks later, he had two sacks as the 49ers shut out the New York Jets on the road by a score of 34–0. During a Week 11 32–7 victory over the Chicago Bears, Smith recorded seven tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week due to his spectacular performance. In the next game against the New Orleans Saints, Smith surpassed Reggie White as the fastest player in league history to record his 30th career sack, doing so in 27 games. Smith was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November. The following week against the St. Louis Rams, Smith broke another of White's records by recording 31.5 sacks in his first two seasons. In that same game, Smith tied Fred Dean's franchise record of 17.5 sacks in one season. During a Week 15 41–34 road victory against the New England Patriots, Smith recorded a tackle, a pass deflection, and his first NFL interception off of Tom Brady. Smith was named to the Pro Bowl and earned First Team All-Pro honors.

Smith finished his second professional season with 19.5 sacks, 66 tackles, three forced fumbles, a pass deflection, an interception, and a pass deflection in 16 games and starts. He broke Cedrick Hardman's 49er's franchise record of 18 sacks in one season, which Hardman set in 1971, a 14-game NFL season. The 49ers went on to appear in Super Bowl XLVII. In the game, Smith had two combined tackles as the 49ers narrowly lost to the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 34–31.

On the NFL Network's NFL Top 100 Players of 2013 ranking, players voted Smith as the seventh-best player in the league entering the 2013 season, which made him the second-highest-ever debut and second-highest defensive player on the list, both behind J. J. Watt. Smith was voted the San Francisco 49ers MVP in 2012.

2013 season
Smith got off to a fast start in 2013, recording 18 tackles and 4.5 sacks in the first three games. However, on September 20, he was involved in a single-vehicle accident in San Jose, California. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. After a Week 3 27–7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Smith voluntarily entered a rehabilitation facility, to be put onto the non-football injury list with an indefinite leave of absence.

Smith missed five games while in rehabilitation. He returned to the team in Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers, but in a backup role, and did not start a game until Week 13 against the St. Louis Rams. Smith ended the season strong, finishing with 34 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 11 games and eight starts. Despite his limited playing time, Smith was ranked #33 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.

2014 season
Smith served a nine-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse and personal conduct policies. He was reinstated in Week 11.

On August 7, 2015, following an arrest for his third DUI, Smith was released by the 49ers.

2015 season
On September 11, 2015, Smith signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Smith made his Raiders debut in the season-opening loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and recorded two tackles. Two weeks later against the Cleveland Browns, Smith got his first start of the year and finished the 27–20 road victory with two solo tackles and two pass deflections. In the next game against the Chicago Bears, he recorded a season-high six tackles and his first sack of the year as the Raiders narrowly lost on the road by a score of 22–20. Smith played his last game of the season in Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings and finished the 30–14 loss with three tackles and a sack. Two days later, the NFL issued Smith a one-year suspension due to a hit-and-run incident that occurred on August 6, 2015.

Smith finished his first season with the Raiders with a total of 28 tackles and 3.5 sacks in nine games and seven starts.

2016 and 2017 seasons
On April 4, 2016, Smith re-signed with the Raiders. On October 27, 2016, he applied for reinstatement. However, no reinstatement occurred, resulting in Smith sitting out the entire 2016 and 2017 NFL seasons.

Following an alleged domestic violence incident, the Raiders released Smith on March 5, 2018.

Dallas Cowboys
On March 14, 2020, it was reported Smith was "in the process" of applying for reinstatement from an indefinite league suspension. He signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys on April 2, 2020, after impressing with his conditioning and size (287 pounds). On May 26, 2020, Smith was conditionally reinstated by the NFL and was cleared to take place in the Cowboys' virtual off-season program.

During the season-opening 20–17 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, Smith played in a regular season game for the first time since November 15, 2015. He tied for a team-high 11 tackles (one for loss), had his first sack of the season, and had two quarterback hits on Jared Goff. Two weeks later against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith sacked Russell Wilson thrice, had two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, and a pass deflection in the 38–31 road loss. After posting four sacks in the first three games, Smith's production decreased considerably in the following weeks (tallying only one more sack) and he also was limited with a knee injury. His time on the field was reduced in favor of playing defensive end Randy Gregory. During a Week 14 30–7 road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Smith recovered a fumble lost by running back Trayveon Williams and returned it 78 yards (fifth longest in franchise history) for his first NFL touchdown.

Smith finished the 2020 season with 53 tackles (four for loss), five sacks (second on the team), 35 quarterback pressures (second on the team), two pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries in 16 games and starts.

Seattle Seahawks
On April 15, 2021, Smith signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. On August 11, he was released by the team.

Following his release from jail on October 24, 2023, Smith stated that he was "done with (foot)ball".

NFL records

 * Fastest player in league history to record his 30th career sack: 27 games
 * Most sacks in a player's first two seasons: 33.5

49ers franchise records

 * Most sacks by a rookie in a single season: 14.0
 * Most sacks in a single season: 19.5

2012
On January 28, 2012, Smith was arrested for driving under the influence in Miami Beach, Florida.

On June 30, Smith was believed to have suffered stab wounds when attempting to break up a fight at a party at his Santa Clara County residence. Two other people were shot in the incident. On October 9, 2013, Smith was charged with "three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon" relating to the stabbing incident. The charges were later reduced to misdemeanors.

2013
On September 20, 2013, Smith was involved in a single-vehicle accident in San Jose, California. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. After a Week 3 27–7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Smith voluntarily entered a rehabilitation facility, to be put onto the non-football injury list with an indefinite leave of absence.

2014
On April 13, 2014, Smith was detained and arrested following an incident at the Los Angeles International Airport in which he became belligerent and uncooperative with a TSA agent, who alleged Smith claimed he was carrying a bomb. After interviews revealed that Smith did not clearly state he was carrying a bomb, the Los Angeles City Attorney decided to drop the charges. Smith was suspended for nine games in the 2014 season.

2015
On August 6, 2015, Smith was arrested in Santa Clara, California, for an alleged hit and run after driving under the influence, and vandalism charges. He was released by the 49ers the next day as a result.

2017
On March 9, 2017, Smith was a passenger with a friend driving to Smith's house at 12:00 am, when the San Francisco Police Department found out both Smith and the driver were under the influence after hitting a police car. Even though Smith was not the driver, both Smith and his friend were detained by the San Francisco Police Department for questioning. The next day, Smith and his friend were released and no arrests were made.

On September 23, 2017, it was announced that Smith had agreed to plead no contest to hit and run in the 2015 incident in exchange for the DUI charges being dropped. He was sentenced to 20 days in jail. During his sentence, Smith was ordered to attend a treatment facility and undergo anger management classes. After his release, Smith was prohibited from entering any bars or other establishments where alcohol is the primary commodity being sold.

2018
On March 3, 2018, a woman had called the police from Smith's home and reported that he had consumed multiple bottles of tequila and then bit her wrists. Smith reportedly fled the home before police arrived. San Francisco police did not comment on the specifics, but did state that domestic violence of a "non-lethal" nature had occurred and they were seeking out Smith for questioning about the incident. On March 23, Smith was arrested for violation of a court order, where he was ordered to stay away from a woman he assaulted earlier in the month. The woman was revealed to be Smith's fiancée. This picked up from the previous incident that occurred on March 3, where Smith pleaded not guilty on four misdemeanor counts, including: domestic violence, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, false imprisonment, and vandalism. On April 8, he was arrested for violations in conditions to his bail.

2019
On June 11, 2019, Smith was stopped by police in Mission, Kansas for a traffic violation, and later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

2021
On April 19, 2021, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office issued an arrest warrant for Smith for second-degree battery. Smith surrendered two days later and was released on a $25,000 bond with an arraignment scheduled for July 14.

On December 7, Smith was arrested for driving under the influence in San Mateo County. On April 7, 2023, he was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading no contest to a felony charge stemming from this incident.