The undeniably shocking decision by the Oakland Raiders to sign troubled former San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Aldon Smith on Friday caused quite a lot of head-scratching in and around the NFL. While there's no denying Smith's talent for taking down quarterbacks, there's also no denying his penchant for off-field trouble. Still, Smith, arrested for an alleged DUI last month, has now made a short move across the bay from San Francisco to Oakland. And while some may question the wisdom of the move considering how close Smith remains to whatever troublesome element has plagued his life to this point, it seems, according to a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, that the Raiders and Smith believe has the the right kind of "support system" in place to ensure that he succeeds in his second NFL destination.
Of course, while Smith reportedly remains eligible to play on Sunday in the Raiders season-opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, he's likely facing a major suspension at some point. Considering Smith was said to only have signed a one-year deal with the Raiders, it's hard to see how signing him benefits them should the league ultimately ban him for, quite possibly, the majority of the coming season. Perhaps, it's simply a very shrewd move on the part of Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio and GM Reggie McKenzie, signing Smith to a one-year deal, getting him into the building and see if he can keep his nose clean for an entire season while at the same time assuring themselves the first opportunity to sign Smith long-term if he keeps it together for 2015.
Then again, they may also know something that the rest of us don't in regards to Smith's looming punishment.
Still, there's no doubting that Smith's addition makes the Raiders defensive front that much more formidable. It will be up to him and his "support system" to ensure that he stays out of trouble and hopefully finds his way back into the good graces of the league and fans.
