Former 49ers star DE Aldon Smith dies at 36

Michael Nowels, The Mercury News on Jun 13, 2026

Published in Football

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Aldon Smith, the 49ers’ single-season leader in sacks and a talented but troubled star, has died at the age of 36, the team announced Saturday afternoon.

The 49ers did not reveal Smith’s cause of death, though ESPN has reported he died in the Bay Area.

“We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith,” the 49ers said in a statement. “Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen. Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.”

The defensive end played four seasons with the 49ers after being the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft out of Missouri. He got off to a roaring start with 33.5 sacks in his first two seasons, a league record, earning All-Pro honors both seasons — including a first-team nod in his sophomore year. He was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2011.

But off-field issues derailed his tenure with the 49ers and his career.

Smith, a native of Greenwood, Miss., was arrested three times for DUI between January 2012 and August 2015, resulting in his release by the 49ers.

He also faced weapons charges after breaking up a 2012 fight at his home, and was detained and arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in 2014 when a TSA agent alleged he said he was carrying a bomb.

Smith’s prodigious talent landed him a deal with the Raiders before the 2015 season despite his troubles. He played in nine games for Oakland that season, but that November, he was suspended a year for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

He re-signed with the Raiders after the season but was denied reinstatement and missed all of the 2016 and 2017 seasons. A domestic violence arrest in March of 2018 resulted in his release from the team and an indefinite suspension.

After another DUI arrest in Kansas in 2019, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in the spring of 2020, earning a conditional reinstatement from the NFL.

He started all 16 games for Dallas in 2020, making five sacks in his bid to return to the game at age 31.

Smith signed a free-agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks on April 15, 2021, but less than a week later, Louisiana officials issued an arrest warrant for him on battery charges and the team released him. That December, he was arrested again for DUI in San Mateo County after rear-ending a Recology truck. He was sentenced to a year in jail in April 2023. He was released just six months later, and said then that he was done with football.

His 19.5 sacks as a second-year player in 2012 still stand as a 49ers team record.