Aldon Smith - Pro Football Rumors

Contract Details: Harbor, A. Smith, Z. Brown

April 5th, 2016 at 6:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are several specific details on some recently agreed-upon and signed contracts from around the NFL:

Clay Harbor, TE (Patriots): Two years, $3MM. $400K signing bonus. Roster bonuses of $200K (2016) and $400K (2017). $200K option bonus for 2017. Up to $500K annually in playing-time incentives (all Twitter links via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
Aldon Smith, OLB (Raiders): Contract features $250K for each game Smith is on the Raiders’ 53-man roster in 2016 and 2017. Those per-game roster bonuses could max out at $4MM in 2017, but not in 2016 due to suspension (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
Zach Brown, LB (Bills): One year, $1.25MM. $450K signing bonus. (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW).
Corey White, CB (Bills): One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link via Buscaglia).

Raiders, Aldon Smith Reach Agreement

April 4th, 2016 at 5:25pm CST by Luke Adams

5:25pm: Smith’s two-year deal carries a base value of $11MM with a max value of $19.5MM, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Smith can boost the value of his deal through sack and Pro Bowl incentives. Smith won’t earn the full amount of that deal due to his suspension, but he’s still slated for a nice payday when he does get back to football.

2:17pm: It’s a two-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

12:58pm: The Raiders and free agent outside linebacker Aldon Smith have an agreement in place, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Schefter, Smith was spotted at the team’s facility today, attempting to put the finishing touches on a deal.

Although the Raiders and Smith can finalize a contract now, the veteran pass rusher will be ineligible to return to the field to begin the 2016 season. Last November, the NFL hit Smith with a suspension of at least one calendar year, meaning he can’t be reinstated until November 2016 at the earliest.

In nine games for the Raiders last season, Smith racked up 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three pass deflections. When healthy and on the field, Smith can be one of the league’s most effective pass rushers, as he exhibited during his first two years in the NFL. As a part-time player in his rookie season, the linebacker recorded 14 sacks, and he piled up another 19.5 as a starter in 2012, en route to a spot on the All-Pro first team.

However, Smith’s off-field issues limited his production in 2013 and 2014 — he missed nearly half the Niners’ games over that span after entering a rehabilitation facility in 2013 and serving a nine-game suspension in 2014. The Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Rams also made contract offers to Smith prior to the 2015 season and reportedly offered more money, but Smith chose to sign with Oakland partially because of its proximity to his Bay Area home. Given his proclivity for the Bay Area, it’s not a surprise to see him re-up with Oakland.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

FA Rumors: J. Jones, A. Smith, Dansby, Randle

March 21st, 2016 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Packers have informed Frank Bauer, the agent for wide receiver James Jones, that they don’t currently have interest in re-signing Jones, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “They’re going to go with the young guys,” Bauer said. Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis, and Jared Abbrederis are expected to complement top targets Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb in Green Bay.

Here are a few more free agent updates from across the NFL:

Asked about outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who will be suspended until at least mid-November, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com that “conversations have been good.” Oakland – or another team – could sign Smith immediately, but McKenzie and the Raiders are more likely to be patient to ensure that the veteran pass rusher continues to make good off-field decisions.
Following his release last week, veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby suggested that he wouldn’t mind heading to Arizona, Cincinnati, or Green Bay. However, Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Arizona (Twitter link) hears that the Cardinals haven’t reached out to Dansby. The division-rival Seahawks have shown some interest though.
After paying a visit to the Jets last week, Saints RFA tight end Josh Hill is meeting with the Bears today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Orleans would have the opportunity to match any offer sheet Hill signs with another team.
Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the Rams are unlikely to add wide receiver Rueben Randle to their roster, despite hosting him for a visit earlier in March.
Before he signed with the Broncos, free agent tackle Russell Okung drew interest from other teams on a traditional multiyear deal, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Okung was seeking $10-11MM per year though, which was too rich for clubs, given his injury history, says Pelissero.

Latest On Aldon Smith

November 18th, 2015 at 8:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest on suspended Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith:

Smith’s suspension mandates that he cannot be around the Raiders’ facility during his suspension, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com tweets. Of course, he also can’t sign anywhere until after it ends on November 17, 2016, at the earliest.
Smith’s one-year suspension was the result of negotiations between the league and Smith’s representation, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. Smith agreed to accept a one-year ban in exchange for a promise that he won’t receive further discipline on his violation of the substance-abuse policy. As a previous offender, Smith could have been punished separately under the Personal Conduct Policy, which could have lengthened his suspension. Florio writes that Smith’s decision to accept a one-year suspension shows that the league had plenty of evidence showing that Smith had consumed alcohol in violation of his agreed upon treatment plan.
The Smith suspension shows real progress in the league’s handling of off-field issues, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report opines. Meanwhile, the Raiders felt that the suspension was inevitable. “The NFL really had no choice,” said a Raiders source, who, like other team officials, was appraised by the NFL of the suspension.
Without Smith, the 49ers defense hasn’t produced a threatening pass rush, Can Inman of the Mercury News notes. In four different games this season, SF has failed to produce a sack. Aaron Lynch leads the way with six sacks for the 49ers, but other than that, the Niners’ front seven hasn’t looked all that fearsome. The 49ers rank 29th in pass defense and their 16 sacks are tied for the eighth fewest in the league.

West Notes: A. Smith, Floyd, Foles

November 17th, 2015 at 8:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, we learned that the NFL has suspended Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith for one calendar year, meaning that he cannot return to the gridiron until November 2016. Smith’s deal with Oakland only lasts through the end of the 2015 season, but based on the joint statements issued by the player and the team Tuesday night, it sounds like a reunion is very likely.

“Aldon has been a positive addition to the Raiders. He remains prominently in our long term plans and we will continue to support this member of our family as he gets the help that he needs,” the Raiders said in the press release.

Smith, meanwhile, said that he looks “forward to rejoining the team next year.” Here’s more out of the AFC and NFC West:

Malcom Floyd, 34, has said all year that the 2015 season would be his farewell tour. However, after suffering a serious shoulder injury, Chargers teammate Antonio Gates doesn’t see that as a certainty. “Now, I think there’s a little doubt in his mind because of how he went out,” Gates said, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego. “I put more doubt in his mind because I want him to come back. I’m like ‘Dude, you can’t go out like this.'” Meanwhile, sources familiar with Floyd’s thinking tell Gehlken that the odds of him returning in 2016 are no longer zero.
The Rams‘ extension with Nick Foles calls for him to earn a guaranteed $6MM roster bonus due on the third day of the league year, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The Rams can avoid his modest $1.75MM salary (guaranteed for injury only) by cutting him, but they cannot get out of paying that $6MM bonus. In theory, the Rams could trade Foles and rid themselves of that expense, but it seems unlikely that they’ll find a taker after Foles was benched in favor of Case Keenum.
Foles isn’t happy about being benched, but the Rams quarterback respects Jeff Fisher’s decision, as Florio writes. “You don’t expect [to be benched],” Foles told reporters. “It’s just one of those things that — I respect Coach Fisher to start off. Of course, I want to be out there, but it’s his decision to make, and I respect it. I love Case [Keenum] to death. He’s one of my favorite people in the world, so I’m going to be right there to support him every step of the way and help him in any way possible.”

Raiders’ Aldon Smith Suspended One Year

November 17th, 2015 at 4:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL will suspend Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith one year for his role in an August incident, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Smith violated the league’s substance-abuse policy following his DUI arrest this summer and the consequences were expected to be serious. The suspension will last one calendar year, meaning that he’ll be eligible to return to football in November 2016.

So far this year, Smith has been a solid contributor and the Raiders made no secret of their desire to sign the linebacker to a contract extension. While his off-the-field issues have not reared themselves in recent weeks, Smith’s offseason troubles have brought his season to an early end. In nine games for the Raiders, Smith racked up 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three pass deflections.

When healthy and on the field, Smith can be one of the league’s most effective pass rushers, as he exhibited during his first two years in the NFL. As a part-time player in his rookie season, the linebacker recorded 14 sacks, and he piled up another 19.5 as a starter in 2012, en route to a spot on the All-Pro first team.

However, Smith’s off-field issues have limited his production in 2013 and 2014 — he missed nearly half the Niners’ games over the last two seasons after entering a rehabilitation facility in 2013 and serving a nine-game suspension in 2014. Most recently, Smith was arrested by Santa Clara police on hit and run, DUI, and vandalism charges, though when he was released from jail, the outside linebacker disputed the fact that he had been driving under the influence.

The Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Rams also made contract offers to Smith, and reportedly offered more money, but Smith chose to sign with Oakland partially because of its proximity to his Bay Area home. Smith’s missing the final seven games of the season costs him $514K in base salary and $1.75MM in missed roster bonuses. He also could have earned additional money by reaching contract incentives.

Raiders Hope To Re-Sign Aldon Smith

October 27th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie says that he plans to sign Aldon Smith long term, as Vic Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets. McKenzie added that the team did a lot of research on Smith before letting “him become member of our family” and, clearly, they’re happy with what they’ve seen so far.

Smith, 26, has appeared in six games and made four starts for the Raiders this season, racking up 18 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three pass deflections. Some teams steered clear of the troubled Smith after he was let go by the 49ers this offseason, but the Raiders gambled on him and so far that has paid off.

When healthy and on the field, Smith can be one of the league’s most effective pass rushers, as he exhibited during his first two years in the NFL. As a part-time player in his rookie season, the linebacker recorded 14 sacks, and he piled up another 19.5 as a starter in 2012, en route to a spot on the All-Pro first team.

However, Smith’s off-field issues have limited his production in 2013 and 2014 — he missed nearly half the Niners’ games over the last two seasons after entering a rehabilitation facility in 2013 and serving a nine-game suspension in 2014. Most recently, Smith was arrested by Santa Clara police on hit and run, DUI, and vandalism charges, though when he was released from jail, the outside linebacker disputed the fact that he had been driving under the influence.

The Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Rams also made contract offers to Smith, and reportedly offered more money, but Smith chose to sign with Oakland partially because of its proximity to his Bay Area home.

Extra Points: Goodell, Raiders, Mariota, Vaccaro

September 19th, 2015 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Roger Goodell‘s said he’s open to changing his role in the disciplinary process, the status quo won’t change for a while. Steelers owner Art Rooney II said any changes will be negotiated in the next collective bargaining agreement, which is up for renewal in 2021, and owners are in no rush to pursue what would be a complex fix, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

“Look, I think more than likely we’re not talking months here. We’re most likely talking years,” Rooney told Pelissero. “I think there’s probably still a fair amount of time before both sides are willing to really roll up their sleeves and get something done.”

The NFLPA, however, responded to Rooney’s assertions of both sides having “informal discussions” on amending the personal conduct policy by saying the league has been unwilling to comply with the association’s requests to collectively bargain on the issue that’s become one of the key components of the modern NFL.

Should the two sides somehow agree to an extension on the CBA with new language on player discipline, that extension would be for a couple of years, Rooney told USA Today.

Here are some additional items affecting the league in Week 2.

Following his stadium proposal that was widely panned, developer Floyd Kephart won’t be taking part in future proposals involving a new Raiders stadium in Oakland, according to the Bay Area News Group. Kephart’s exclusive negotiating agreement was not renewed by the city of Oakland, and CSNBayArea.com notes this should facilitate more direct dialogue between Oakland and the Raiders, who dismissed the financial basis for Kephart’s Coliseum City project.
Aldon Smith should see work in the Raiders’ base packages soon after playing only on passing downs in Week 1, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Smith played mostly at right defensive end in his 29 snaps last week, and Bair expects that to increase against the Ravens. With Jack Del Rio-led defenses reluctant to blitz, the onus will be on Smith and Khalil Mack to lead a four-man pressure package.
With the Browns set to host the Titans on Sunday, Mike Pettine admits a personal interest in Marcus Mariota‘s career, according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Tom Reed. The second-year Cleveland coach believes many around the league are secretly rooting against Mariota and his former coach at Oregon, Chip Kelly, to fail and preserve the superiority of pro-style systems. “(Mariota) is the kind of guy you root for from a personal standpoint,” Pettine said. “But I think the football purists who want it to be a true pro-style game are not going to cheer for a guy like him because that would only encourage teams to blow this up and bring in college coordinators.”
The Saints want to expand Kenny Vaccaro‘s role to include covering slot receivers, Nick Underhill of TheAdvocate.com writes. Vaccaro played 156 downs in slot coverage in 2013 and 108 last season, per Underhill, and was utilized as an in-the-box player when New Orleans opted for single-high safety looks.”

Extra Points: Smith, Preseason, Patriots, Steelers

September 13th, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders signing of Aldon Smith isn’t an indication that the linebacker will avoid punishment for his arrest in August, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. According to the writer, the NFL is currently “reviewing Smith’s case under the substance-abuse policy,” with the DUI charge being the main focus.

While he could be considered a repeat offender, Florio notes that the vandalism and hit-and-run charges “won’t create any significant problems” since they don’t involve violence against another person.

The issue surrounding Smith could be the potential violation of his treatment plan stemming from his previous substance-abuse punishment. If the linebacker is in Stage 3 of the program, Florio says he could be subject to a one-year suspension.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the league…

Florio reports that the NFL is currently reviewing how revenue would be lost by reducing the preseason by “as many” as two games. If the schedule is cut down, the NFL would look to recover their lost money via an extended regular season or expanded playoffs.
ESPN’s Field Yates passes along a pair of roster bonuses that were earned today (via Twitter): Colts linebacker Robert Mathis ($1MM) and Rams wideout Kenny Britt ($500K).
The Patriots asked for the league to reinstate their two suspended staffers, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport says that Troy Vincent, the league’s Executive VP of Football Operations, has formally requested to meet with the duo prior to any decision. Equipment staffer John Jastremski and locker room attendant Jim McNally were suspended indefinitely in May following the release of the Wells Report.
The Steelers released a statement regarding tight end coach James Daniel‘s interaction with Patriots fans following his team’s opening-night loss. “We have conducted an internal inquiry into the alleged incident involving Assistant Coach James Daniel at the Patriots stadium Thursday night. After interviews with Coach Daniel as well as other personnel who witnessed the alleged encounter, we find no corroboration that Coach Daniel was involved in any physical altercation with a fan,” the organization said (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). “Coach Daniel has worked as an assistant coach for the Steelers for the past 12 seasons. We have a high level of confidence in his character and are confident that any further investigation of this incident will reveal he was not part of any assault or misconduct involving a Patriots fan.”

Raiders Sign Aldon Smith

September 13th, 2015 at 8:11am CST by Luke Adams

SUNDAY, 8:11am: The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport passes along a bit of news on the Smith signing this morning (via Twitter). We already knew that Smith chose the Raiders’ offer over competing contracts from the Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Rams, and Rapoport says those other clubs actually offered more money than Oakland. Smith, however, wanted to stay close to his support system in the Bay Area. Rapoport also reports that the Raiders are confident in the information they have on Smith’s criminal charges, which suggests that Smith may not be facing significant punishment from the judicial system or, consequently, from the league.

SATURDAY, 11:25am: ESPN’s Field Yates has slightly different contract numbers for Smith (Twitter link), reporting that the base salary is worth $1.25MM. He also notes that there is $2.75MM in sack incentives and $4MM in per-game bonuses, both of which differ from Rapoport’s tweet.

FRIDAY, 5:06 pm: Smith’s deal with the Raiders is worth up to $8MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It includes a $1MM base salary, $5MM in 53-man roster bonuses, and $2MM in sack incentives.

12:47pm: The Raiders have officially signed Smith, cutting defensive end Lavar Edwards to create a spot on the roster, according to a team release.

11:16am: After being released last month by the 49ers, outside linebacker Aldon Smith has found a new home across the bay. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), the Raiders have agreed to sign Smith to a one-year contract.

When he’s healthy and on the field, Smith can be one of the league’s most effective pass rushers, as he exhibited during his first two years in the NFL. As a part-time player in his rookie season, the linebacker recorded 14 sacks, and he piled up another 19.5 as a starter in 2012, en route to a spot on the All-Pro first team.

However, Smith’s off-field issues have limited his production since then — he missed nearly half the Niners’ games over the last two seasons after entering a rehabilitation facility in 2013 and serving a nine-game suspension in 2014. Most recently, Smith was arrested by Santa Clara police on hit and run, DUI, and vandalism charges, though when he was released from jail, the outside linebacker disputed the fact that he had been driving under the influence.

The incident is the latest in a series of off-field run-ins for Smith, who has had DUI arrests in the past, and it was the last straw for the 49ers. The team parted ways with him in early August, with GM Trent Baalke issuing the following statement: “This organization has tried very hard to help Aldon fight his issues. Although he is no longer a member of this team, our support and concern for him will continue.”

Cole reported earlier this week that at least four teams had interest in signing Smith, but things were still in a holding pattern at that point, since the NFL had yet to make a decision on possible discipline after his latest legal situation. As Cole noted, if Smith were to sign with a club and then received a year-long suspension, that would be a PR embarrassment for both the team and the league.

The fact that the Raiders are willing to bring Smith aboard suggests that the club either has an idea of what his potential suspension might look like or is simply willing to roll the dice on a talented but troubled player. It’s also not clear how long the NFL’s investigation will take, so Smith could potentially play until the league announces its decision. If he’s able to stay on the field for the majority of the 2015 season, the Raiders should have a very strong pass rush this year, with the ex-Niner joining Khalil Mack and Justin Tuck in Oakland.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Smith chose the Raiders over the Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Rams.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.