Aldon Smith 'blessed, I'm a Cowboy'
Aldon Smith is close to being back in the NFL, signing a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
Smith, serving an indefinite suspension from the league, has not played in a game since 2015 because of a string of arrests and off-field issues.
"Life is good. I'm thankful. I'm blessed. I'm a Cowboy," the defensive end wrote on Instagram.
According to NFL Network, Smith will get a $2 million guarantee, with another $2 million available in incentives based on sacks.
NFL Network reported that the process of getting Smith reinstated by the league has begun.
The 30-year-old Missouri product was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Smith had 14 sacks as a rookie, then added 19.5 sacks in 2012 and was selected first-team All-Pro.
However, Smith was arrested on suspicion of DUI in January 2012 and again in September 2013, and he sat out five games in 2013 while going through rehab.
He was suspended by the NFL for the first nine games of the 2014 season for violations of the substance-abuse and personal-conduct policies.
After Smith was arrested a third time on suspicion of DUI (along with hit-and-run and vandalism) in August 2015, the 49ers released him the following day. He signed with the Raiders a month later, and he had 3.5 sacks in nine games for Oakland before he was suspended for a year by the NFL for a violation of the substance-abuse policy.
Smith signed a two-year deal with the Raiders in April 2016 but never was reinstated by the league. Oakland eventually cut him in March 2018 after two alleged domestic violence incidents.
In 59 career NFL games (37 starts), Smith has 47.5 sacks, 180 tackles, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception.
Should Smith join the Cowboys, he would be reunited with new Dallas defensive line coach Jim Tomsula, who held the same position in San Francisco during Smith's time there.
--Field Level Media
