49ers Would “Love” To Sign OLB Aldon Smith An Extension

According to 49ers GM Trent Baalke, they play to work hard to get a contract extension in place with troubled OLB Aldon Smith.

“He’s in his contract year,” Baalke said, via ESPN.com. “He’s poised to have a very good year. We expect him to have a very good year. I think he expects himself to have a very good year.

“We’re going to work hard to make sure that he remains here.”

Baalke wouldn’t offer any details about ongoing negotiations with Smith’s agent, but he stressed that they would “love” to keep him in San Francisco.

“We don’t talk about what we’re doing within negotiations,” Baalke said. “I think he understands, his agent understands what we would like to do, and we’re going to work hard at it. Now when that gets done, if it gets done during the season, I can’t answer that.

“He knows where we stand and my understanding is he would love to be here, and we would certainly love to keep him here.”

Smith, 25, had his fifth-year option picked up by the 49ers last year, but he agreed to rework the deal so that a large majority of the contract will be paid out through a series of roster bonuses.

In 2014, Smith appeared in seven games and recorded 15 tackles and two sacks for the 49ers’ defense. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next year, so he clearly has a lot to prove in 2015.