The San Fransisco 49ers announced Friday that the team will exercise pass rusher Aldon Smith’s fifth-year contract option for the upcoming 2014-2015 season.
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The option is worth $9.75 million, and it appears that the team found Smith’s on-field contributions too valuable to part with, even after numerous off-field incidents.
While his behavior away from the gridiron has been far from exemplary, Smith has proven to be a very valuable defensive asset on the field. In 43 career games, Smith has tallied 42 sacks.
Smith still could face a suspension from the NFL for his latest non-football related behavior, but the 49ers and their fans will just have to wait and see while Smith’s legal issues are sorted out.
With any luck, the idea of losing playing time to time behind bars will be enough to motivate Smith into more appropriate behavior in the future.
