The San Francisco 49ers announced that former linebacker Aldon Smith has died at 36. Drafted in 2011, Smith recorded standout rookie and Pro Bowl seasons before a string of off-field incidents led to suspensions and releases across multiple teams.
Aldon Smith was still part of the 49ers’ present, at least for a moment. Last week, he spoke to the team’s rookies at the team facility in Santa Clara. Then, on June 13, the organization announced his death. He was 36.
In a statement. the San Francisco 49ers said they were “devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith.” The team described his impact as immediate when he joined the organization. pointing to his “one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen.” Beyond his on-field production. the 49ers said Smith would be remembered for an “infectious smile” that “lit up every room he walked into.” The statement added that the organization sent “its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.”.
Smith’s NFL journey began when the 49ers selected him with the seventh pick of the 2011 draft out of the University of Missouri. He played his first four seasons in San Francisco, from 2011 through 2014. In 2011, he finished second in Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
His peak came in 2012, when he made his only Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. That year, Smith compiled 19.5 sacks, one interception, and 66 tackles—50 of them solo—in 16 games. In the middle of the defense’s rise. Smith teamed with Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman to form one of the NFL’s most feared linebacker groups during his prime.
But the same career that produced dominance also became a cautionary tale. A series of off-the-field incidents interrupted Smith’s momentum and eventually ended his time in San Francisco. In August 2015, the 49ers released him after a DUI arrest—his fifth arrest in a span of three years. He then signed with the Oakland Raiders.
The NFL’s discipline followed quickly. In November 2015, Smith was suspended for one year after violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He applied for reinstatement a year later, but his request was denied. As a result, he missed the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
After a domestic violence allegation, the Raiders released Smith on March 5, 2018.
Still, he returned to the field. Smith resurfaced with the Cowboys in 2020 and played all 16 games in what would be his final NFL season. He finished his career with 228 tackles, 52.5 sacks, and one interception.
The sequence of Smith’s story is stark in the way it moves from bright ceilings to long pauses: drafted at the top of the league’s attention in 2011. celebrated for sack totals and All-Pro caliber seasons in his early years. and then derailed by arrests. suspension. and missed seasons before making one last run in 2020.
Aldon Smith San Francisco 49ers NFL linebacker death at 36 2011 draft DUI arrest suspension substance abuse policy Dallas Cowboys Oakland Raiders
36 is way too young. RIP Aldon.
Wait so he was still on the 49ers like last week? That’s crazy. I saw the part about an infectious smile and now I’m just like… what happened.
This is sad but also kinda weird how the league just kept letting him back. Like he got released, suspended, then came back to play? I’m not saying it’s his fault or anything, I just don’t get how they allowed all that stuff to happen and then he’s gone at 36.
DUI, substance abuse policy, domestic violence allegation… and then drafted with a top pick. I remember him like he was a 49er forever, but apparently he bounced around a lot. Maybe he didn’t get the help he needed. Also I don’t trust “in a statement” news like… what does that even mean exactly? Still, prayers for his family.