The deadline for teams at picking up fifth year options for players drafted in 2011 is here and the Niners are expected to pick up the contract of Aldon Smith despite all his off field troubles, but if for some reason they don't, the team could explore a trade for the star.
Smith has been one of the most productive defensive players for the Niners over the past couple years, but his off the field issues have taken over his narrative and that is why the team may not pick up his option. According to ESPN.com, the 49ers have until May 3 to pick up the fifth year option on Smith, who is 24 years old and has been one of the best young defensive players in the league. That rise has also brought trouble, as Smith was in treatment during the season for alcohol issues and missed five games and more recently he was detained at LAX after getting into it with TSA agents and making comments about having a bomb.
The San Francisco 49ers are in the news for the wrong reasons this offseason with Aldon Smith and Colin Kaepernick and with the team shopping a trade for LaMichael James, Smith could be next to go after his issues, as teams like the Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins and NY Giants could be options for the San Francisco 49ers in a deal before the draft.
Smith has had multiple off the field issues over the past year and he now could be on his way out of town eventually, while Kaepernick has been involved in a sexual assault investigation stemming from something that happened in Miami. Regarding Smith, he had problems at LAX and was detained and that came after he missed five games following issues with alcohol after he was arrested for drunken driving and on top of that he had a problem with illegal assault weapons at a party from last April. That's a lot of bad press for the 49ers and now they have a major decision to make about his future.
According to ESPN.com, the 49ers have until May 3 to decide on picking up the fifth year option for Smith and if the team doesn't do that, there is a good chance he will be gone after last season or he could be traded by the team. The May 3 option decision is the first big move regarding Smith and that will tell a lot about how the 49ers will handle the situation and he now has an important season ahead of him not matter what for his career. Smith has been very productive for the team over the past couple years and the 24 year old is one of the top young players, but his issues off the field have overtaken that.
Last season Smith had 12 sacks on the season and over 30 tackles despite missing five games and in his short career of three seasons, he has over 40 sacks in 43 games and he only missed time for that issue and not for injury. He played in all 16 games the last two seasons with 19.5 sacks and 14 sacks his first two seasons and now the Niners could look to make a move. LaMichael James is also being shopped heading into the draft and that could mean some big changes coming up for the 49ers. James has not played much over the past two seasons and the team now has the chance to make some moves heading into the draft.
The Niners have double digit draft picks again and while trading Smith or James will just get the team more, that could give Jim Harbaugh the chance to move up in the draft for a player they love. The team has three third round picks and two second round picks and they may move up for someone like Johnny Manziel or Mike Evans, as they will have the selections to do it. The team ranked near the bottom of the league in passing yards per game and they will be looking to add a receiver or an offensive player in the top of the draft.