Aldon Smith

At 34 years old, Aldon Smith has this physical status:

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, he started 11 of 13 games at defensive end in 2009. He finished the season with 60 tackles and 11 sacks. He 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.

Professional career

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, he was projected to be selected in the mid-late first round by mock draft analysis. On the day of the Draft, the San Francisco 49ers decided to draft Smith in the first round with the seventh overall pick.

Smith did not start, but did make his NFL debut against the Seattle Seahawks. In Week 4, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded his first sack on Michael Vick. In 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, he recorded 13 tackles and 6.5 sacks, including one that forced a safety as he helped the 49ers to a 6–1 record. In Week 15, Smith recorded 2.5 sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also surpassed Charles Haley for the 49ers record for most sacks by a rookie in a single season with 13.0 sacks. He finished with 37 total tackles, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and 14 sacks. Smith 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. He 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.

After being used only as a situational pass rusher throughout his rookie year, Smith became a full-time starter in the 2012 season. In the season premiere against the Green Bay Packers, Smith sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a 30–22 victory. In the next game at home against the Detroit Lions, Smith recorded 1.5 sacks as the 49ers won by a score of 27–19. During Week 4, Smith had 2 sacks as the 49ers shut out the New York Jets 34–0. In Week 11, he recorded 5.5 sacks in a 32–7 blowout win against the Chicago Bears. The next week, in a game against the New Orleans Saints, he surpassed Reggie White as the fastest player in league history to record his 30th career sack, doing so in 27 games. The next 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, he tied Fred Dean's franchise record of 17.5 sacks in one season. On December 16, 2012, Smith recorded his first interception off of Tom Brady in a 41–34 road victory against the New England Patriots.

In the 2012 season, Smith recorded 19.5 sacks, 66 tackles, three forced fumbles, a pass deflection, and an interception. Smith broke Cedrick Hardman's 49er's franchise record of 18 sacks in one season, which Hardman set in 1971,in 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, the players voted him 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. He was also voted the San Francisco 49ers MVP in 2012.

Smith got off to a fast start during the 2013 season getting 4.5 sacks in the first three games. However, on September 20, 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 the loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the third week of the football season, he 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. He ended the season strong, finishing with 34 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Despite his limited playing time, Smith was ranked #33 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.

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.

On September 11, 2015, Smith signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders. He collected two tackles in his first game with the Raiders in the season-opening loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He got his first start with the Raiders on September 27, against the Cleveland Browns and finished with 2 solo tackles. The following week, he earned his first sack against the Chicago Bears and finished the game with a season-high six tackles. He played his last game of the season on November 15 against the Minnesota Vikings and finished the 30–14 loss with three tackles and a sack. Two days later, the NFL issued Smith a 1-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 7 starts and 9 games.

On April 4, 2016, Smith re-signed with the Raiders. On October 27, 2016, Smith 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.

On March 14, 2020, it was reported Smith was "in the process" of applying for reinstatement from an indefinite league suspension. Smith 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.

In Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, Smith played in a regular season game for the first time since November 15 2015, tied for a team high 11 tackles (one for loss), had his first sack of the season and 2 quarterback hits on Jared Goff during the 20–17 loss. In Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith sacked Russell Wilson three times, had 2 tackles for loss, 4 quarterback hits and one pass breakup during the 38–31 loss. After posting 4 sacks in the first 3 games, his 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. In Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Smith recovered a fumble lost by running back Trayveon Williams and returned it for a 78-yard touchdown (fifth longest in franchise history) during the 30–7 win, which was Smith's first career touchdown. He finished with 53 tackles (4 for loss), 5 sacks (second on the team), 35 quarterback pressures (second on the team), 2 passes defensed and 2 fumble recoveries. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

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

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