In a surprising twist to the Aldon Smith saga, the Oakland Raiders have re-signed him even though he will be suspended for a large portion of the 2016 regular season. He will be suspended until November thanks to a DUI that happened in November. Smith was charged with driving under the influence, hit and run, and vandalism.
It was clear Smith was out of control with his behavior off the field, however he has not been as heinous and reprehensible as some of the other players who have faced similar penalties. This is not the first time Smith has been suspended either; he missed nine games while he was a member of the San Francisco 49ers thanks to violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
He was released by the 49ers in August and immediately drew interest as an elite defensive talent. The Raiders must feel at ease enough with Smith and his character to offer him a new contract, as Smith was not as dominant as he has been in the past during the 2015 regular season. Smith started in only seven games and he recorded 28 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks and three pass defenses.
Throughout his career Smith has amassed 180 combined tackles, 47.5 sacks, a safety, eight pass defenses and five forced fumbles. The Oakland Raiders had a big offseason as they signed several key players who should help them make a playoff push. The Raiders signed offensive guard Kelechi Osemele, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, to a five-year, $58 million deal, which should sure up their offensive line.
One of the main priorities this offseason for Oakland was to build up the offensive line, and the signing of Osemele should go a long way to rebuilding it. They also re-signed offensive lineman Donald Penn who had threatened to leave in free agency. Now with Penn returning there should be a level of consistency we will see from the line that was not present during 2015.
Oakland also signed cornerback Sean Smith, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, to a four-year, $38 million deal. Smith will be the top cornerback for the Raiders during the 2016 season and was one of the most sought-after free agents on the market.
The Raiders also signed linebacker Bruce Irvin, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, to a four-year, $37 million deal which should bolster the defense and allow the Raiders to generate some more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Re-signing Smith should allow the Raiders to get a little bit of a defensive boost when he returns right before the NFL playoffs.
