Linebacker Aldon Smith has officially re-signed with the Raiders.
The team announced that they reached agreement on a new contract with Smith on Monday afternoon. They did not announce any terms of the deal, but reports earlier in the day pegged it as a two-year deal.
It will be some time before Smith can get back to helping the Raiders defense on the field, however. He was suspended for at least one year during the 2015 season and won’t be eligible to for reinstatement to the active roster until November.
Smith signed with the Raiders following his release from the 49ers and with the knowledge that a lengthy suspension was in the offing after Smith’s latest DUI arrest. He played nine games and had 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks and three passes defensed before the suspension was imposed.
Off-field issues have dulled Smith’s impact in the last few years, but his 47.5 career sacks before his 27th birthday explain why the Raiders are interested for having him on the team. If he can stay out of trouble, they should get to see how he looks alongside Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin in the final quarter of the 2016 season.