2016 NFL Free Agency Profile: Aldon Smith

December 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi

If one wants to find the biggest conundrum of the 2016 NFL free agency class, they need not look further than Aldon Smith. What awaits the San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker?

Age: 25
15 tackles
2.0 sacks

Don’t let the numbers fool you. Smith played in just seven games last season due to a suspension for prior law and league violations. Before that he had amassed 42 sacks in 43 games as a pro. When he’s on the field and playing fast he’s one of the hardest pass rushers in football to stop. The problem has been his constant inability to stay out of trouble.

Adding to his misery heading into 2015 is the subsequent loss of his defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as well as line mate Justin Smith and leader Patrick Willis. By the look of things the 49ers are running out of core members that made their defense so suffocating between 2011 and 2014 when they never finished lower than 10th.

This puts the burden on Smith. He’s the most talent player on that unit and one of just three left on the roster who was on that team that reached the Super Bowl three years ago. They will expect him to become a team leader. He’ll have to do that while playing well because it’s the only way he gets a serious pay day after the previous off-the-field problems.

"“General manager Trent Baalke recently told reporters that Smith has been with the team all offseason, taking part in all activities and working hard. And, as Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com noted, Smith has an incentive-laden deal for 2015 that will pay him an additional $2 million if he gets at least eight sacks or plays more than 50 percent of the team’s defensive plays.”"

Aldon Smith is out of extra strikes. If there was a time to mature and start acting like a pro, it’s now. Otherwise he’ll end up living his life on short-term, incentive-based deal that won’t pay near what he could be making.

Likeliest outcome: Hits the open market

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