Jamal Adams has reported to Seahawks training camp in the midst of discussions regarding a potential contract extension, but he is not the only veteran player to report for duty.
Defensive end Aldon Smith, signed by the Seahawks in April, is also ready to go for training camp, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. A former seventh overall pick, Smith had a somewhat resurgent season with the Cowboys in 2020 after not seeing the field for four years. He could certainly provide some firepower to the Seahawks’ defensive line this upcoming season.
However, Smith’s myriad of legal issues has been well-documented. Smith spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the Raiders but did not play a down due to a suspension for a hit-and-run and the organization released him in 2018 for a domestic violence incident. Smith remained a free agent until the 2020 season when Dallas scooped him up and the NFL reinstated him.
This is certainly not the first time Seattle has signed a player with a troubled history, but Smith is particularly controversial. Smith was arrested again this offseason, this time for second-degree felony battery. His arraignment on the new charges has been moved to August, after it was initially scheduled for July 14.
Smith is under a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Seahawks, which they can shed quite easily, leaving only $137,500 in dead cap if they release him in the event that he is convicted. If he is able to play for 2021, fans can only hope he will make sufficient contributions to the defense.
