Assuming he will ultimately be reinstated by Commissioner Roger Goodell, Aldon Smith will have a chance to resume his football career with the Dallas Cowboys after signing a one-year deal with the team on Wednesday.
Smith expressed his gratitude for the opportunity in a posting to his instagram account on Wednesday night.
“Life is good. I’m thankful. I’m blessed. I’m a Cowboy,” Smith wrote in the caption.
Smith was a menace on the field for the San Francisco 49ers during the first few years of his career. However, the description soon came to reasonably fit his off-field presence as well as he was arrested multiple times and suspended on several occasions by the NFL for substance-abuse and personal conduct policy violations. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2015 after being suspended while with the Oakland Raiders.
Smith went on to say he’s made “exponential strides” in the time since in trying to get things back on track.
“There is beauty in the struggle,” Smith wrote.
“Life will always present us w/tests. I’ve learned how to take a different perspective on the adversities of life. Instead of looking at life as a victim, I have embraced the journey as God has planned it, making exponential strides towards becoming a better man.
“Take this time that we have away from our normal day to day activities and think about changing your perspectives. Focus not on how bad this situation is but instead on how we can all come out of this better people. Let’s work on the things we have been putting off and grow towards our ultimate potential.”
Smith was the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and posted 33.5 sacks in his first two seasons with the 49ers. Add another 8.5 sacks in 2013 in just 11 games and Smith was averaging 14 sacks a season over the first three years of his career.