Aldon Smith, an All-Pro linebacker who helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances, has died, the team announced Saturday. He was 36 years old. The team did not reveal a cause of death.
Drafted with the seventh pick of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Missouri, Smith came within a half-sack of Jevon Kearse’s rookie sack record in his first season with the 49ers, recording 14.0 sacks for a team that went 13-3 under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh. Smith followed that up with a then-franchise record 19.5 sacks a year later as a First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, and finished with 152 tackles and 44.0 sacks in 50 games for the 49ers over four seasons.
“We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith,” the 49ers said in a statement announcing Smith’s passing. “Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen. Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.”
Smith was an integral part of a San Francisco defense that helped power three straight conference title game trips over his first three years in the league, including a Super Bowl appearance in the 2012 season. His career was marred by off-the-field issues, however, as he was arrested several times between 2012 and 2021 and was suspended multiple times by the NFL. That included four arrests for driving under the influence and a domestic violence case, among other charges.
Smith was released by the 49ers in 2015, immediately following an arrest for driving under the influence, hit-and-run and vandalism. He signed with the then-Oakland Raiders, playing nine games for Oakland in 2015 before being suspended repeatedly over the next four seasons. The suspensions stemmed from multiple violations of the NFL’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, and other infractions. In 2023, he served six months in prison after he pleaded guilty to felony DUI.
Smith finished his career with one final season with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. He recorded five sacks and 48 combined tackles, but Dallas decided not to re-sign him after his one-year contract expired in March of 2021.
Born in Greenwood, Miss., Smith attended high school in Raytown, Mo. He played college ball at Missouri from 2008 to 2010, emerging as a pass-rushing force during his redshirt freshman season with 60 tackles and 11 sacks for the Tigers. He was named the 2009 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors.
Smith suffered a broken right leg and a fractured fibula that kept him out for just three games at the start of his redshirt sophomore season in 2010. He played in 10 games that season and recorded three sacks before deciding to forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.
Smith made his biggest NFL impact with the team that drafted him and maintained a connection to the 49ers through his final days. Just last week, he attended a team practice at the 49ers’ practice facility in Santa Clara, Calif., and spoke to the team’s rookies, multiple team sources told The Athletic.