The Aldon Smith Reclamation Project officially can be deemed a success; it’s paying off for the Dallas Cowboys, and soon it will pay off for the team’s leading sack leader.
In a recent radio interview, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones confirmed media reports stating Smith is a strong candidate for a long-term contract extension.
“Yes, and the idea here is that Aldon is getting better,” Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan, via Pro Football Talk. “He’s a bigger man than he was when he played earlier in his career. But that has a lot of positives to it, too. But every time he’s stepping out there, he’s gaining on it, and that’s interesting to be at this stage of his career. But he’s an absolute unique in every way pressure player. We want to maximize our relationship with him. We’ve all got a good one with him. Proud of him. Proud for him. Proud that he’s given himself this chance, and we’re going to help him do it. So, as I’ve said earlier, I’m a fan of his.”
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Returning from a half-decade-spanning NFL suspension, Smith inked a non-guaranteed one-year, $2 million deal rife with bonuses and sack incentives. He has a base salary of just $910,000 — peanuts.
The Pro Bowl pass-rusher has provided an excellent return on Jones’ investment, tallying 37 tackles (24 solo), nine quarterback hits, and 5.5 sacks across 460 defensive snaps (73.02%).
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Career Resurgence
Smith is one of the few untouchable pieces on the current Dallas outfit. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported prior to the Nov. 3 trade deadline that the Seattle Seahawks contacted the Cowboys about Smith and were told he’s not available — and in fact likelier to land an extension.
“He’s playing well, he’s generating pressure, and the Cowboys said, ‘We are not trading this guy. He is signed for this year.’ So likely a lucrative extension to stay in Dallas [is] coming for Aldon Smith,” Garafolo said.
Smith, who turned 31 in September, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2021. But the 2-7 Cowboys, still in win-now mode as part of a terrible division, aren’t ready to cross that particular bridge, either.
“We’re in this to still fight. We’re in the NFC East. It’s obviously a division that is struggling right now,” team VP Stephen Jones said earlier this month when asked about the Smith trade rumors, via the Dallas Morning News.
And neither is Smith.
“I’m extremely grateful for the Cowboys giving me a chance. I mean, I appreciate that. I’m not thinking about next season. I really just want to — I want to win. I want to keep getting better every week, and I want to keep getting better every week,” he said after the deadline passed, via ESPN’s Todd Archer.
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Jerry Jones Hints at Lucrative Extension for Cowboys LB Aldon Smith