Seattle Seahawks release veteran pass-rusher Aldon Smith

Smith has been notorious for off-field issues throughout his career and has served multiple suspensions as a result. Unfortunately, his latest unsavory situation involves a second-degree battery charge, which, according to TMZ Sports, could land Smith in prison for up to eight years.

Despite being suspended from the NFL for four years, Smith returned in 2020 to play for the Dallas Cowboys, and fared quite well, racking up 48 combined tackles and five sacks.

The 31-year-old began his career with the San Francisco 49ers and logged a ridiculous 14 sacks as a rookie before rattling off 19.5 sacks as an NFL sophomore. Unfortunately, Smith couldn’t stay out of trouble outside the white lines, and his getting cut by Seattle doesn’t bode well for what lies ahead.

An in-season trade for Carlos Dunlap in 2020 helped the Seahawks’ pass rush improve, but they still have room to improve in that area, hence the flier on Smith in the first place. Now that he’s gone, Seattle will need its incumbent players like Dunlap, LJ Collier and Darrell Taylor to contribute more.

Superstar safety Jamal Adams is a uniquely gifted pass-rusher in his own right, but is in the midst of a contract dispute in what’s been a turbulent Seahawks offseason. Quarterback Russell Wilson was the subject of trade rumors, and left tackle Duane Brown is also unhappy with his current contract.