Aldon Smith, 2012 First-Team All-Pro, Dies at 36

Former 49ers All-Pro Aldon Smith dies

Aldon Smith, the 49ers’ 7th overall pick in 2011, passed away at 36. He recorded 52.5 sacks and earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2012 after a 19.5-sack season.

Ex-49ers linebacker Aldon Smith dead at 36; cause of death not released...

Former 49ers All-Pro linebacker Aldon Smith died Saturday at 36, the San Francisco 49ers announced.

No cause of death has been released yet.

Smith played four of his six NFL seasons with San Francisco, then spent one year with the Oakland Raiders before wrapping up his career with the Dallas Cowboys.

He made an instant impact after the 49ers took him 7th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, emerging as a pass-rush force from day one.

Smith logged 14 sacks as a rookie in 2011, then exploded for 19.5 sacks and 66 tackles in 2012. That 2012 season earned him First-Team All-Pro honors.

Injuries and off-field issues derailed Smith over the next three seasons. In 2014 he received a nine-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse and personal conduct policies.

A year later he was suspended for the entire 2015 season following a DUI arrest in California, another violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. The NFL later placed Smith on an indefinite suspension as his legal troubles continued, including a domestic violence charge that led to him turning himself in.

The 49ers mourn the passing of former LB Aldon Smith.

📰 https://t.co/gVxEEdWtLp pic.twitter.com/UfAJmyI5Rp

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) June 13, 2026

Smith was out of the NFL for four seasons from 2016 to 2019 before making a comeback in 2020. He closed out his career with Dallas, appearing in all 16 games that year.

He finished with 228 tackles, 52.5 sacks, 10 passes defended, five forced fumbles, one interception, and one touchdown over six seasons.