Raiders Sign Former 49ers OLB Aldon Smith To A One-Year Deal

September 11, 2015

Update:

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media is reporting that Aldon Smith‘s one-year deal with the Raiders can be worth up to $8 million.

Smith’s contract carries a base value of $1 million to go along with $5 million in active roster bonuses.

On top of that, Smith can make another $2 million in sack-based incentives.

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The Oakland Raiders have signed former 49ers OLB Aldon Smith to a one-year contract on Friday, according to Jason Cole.

According to Ian Rapoport, Smith decided to sign with the Raiders over the Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Rams.
In regards to a possible suspension for Smith, Rapoport mentions that the NFL and local law enforcement officials sorting out whether he’ll be suspended and how long a potential ban would be.

Even with the off-the-issues, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Smith is eligible to play in Week 1 and the Raiders will consider making him active, depending on his conditioning.

Cole recently mentioned that there were four teams willing to sign Smith to a contract in recent days, but he didn’t offer any specifics teams that could be interested.

It’s interesting to see the Raiders move quickly to get him under contract before the NFL has handed down a ruling for his most recent off-the-field incident that led to him being released by San Francisco.

The NFL is apparently still looking into Smith’s most recent arrest in which he was cited for a hit and run, DUI, and vandalism. Considering that Smith’s latest arrest involves both substance-abuse policy and personal conduct policy, it’s possible that he could be in line for a lengthy suspension.

There’s no question that Smith was the best available player from a talent perspective. It will be interesting to see what the Raiders’ plans are for him in the coming weeks.

Smith, 25, had his fifth-year option picked up by the 49ers last year, but his decision to rework his contract and include a pay-as-you-go structure ultimately allowed San Francisco to move on without any cap implications.

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.