Four potential landing spots for former All-Pro Aldon Smith

As noted above, Seattle was interested in trading for Smith ahead of last season’s deadline. Even after signing Kerry Hyder away from the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, pass rush becomes a major need for Pete Carroll’s squad.

While Seattle recorded 46 sacks a season ago, very little of that came from the edge pass rush position. In fact, safety Jamal Adams and defensive tackle Jarran Reed combined for 16 of those sacks. This is a major need for the Seahawks. Without much cap room and only three selections in the 2021 NFL Draft, Smith becomes a realistic option in free agency.

Baltimore Ravens need pass rush help

A team that has always relied on edge rushers to provide consistent pressure on the quarterback, Baltimore is in a less-than-ideal situation right now. It lost Pro Bowlers Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue in free agency. The team’s leading sack-getter from a season ago, Calais Campbell, is getting up there in age and recorded just four quarterback takedowns in 2020.

It goes without saying that Baltimore will target this position early in next month’s NFL Draft. In no way does this mean that Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta will ignore the remaining NFL free agent market. That’s where Smith comes into play as a perfect scheme fit and cost-effective option.

New England Patriots could continue active offseason

Speaking of Judon, the Patriots did a great job adding him to their underwhelming pass rush core. The return of Kyle Van Noy should help in this regard, too. A surprisingly active Patriots squad could look for even more pass rush help moving forward in free agency.

New England has taken chances on similar players in the past. There’s no reason to believe Bill Belichick and Co. will stop now as the Patriots look to rebound from their first losing season since 2000. This would be a very Patriot-like move.

Smith reunion with the San Francisco 49ers

There’s a number of potential hiccups to the 49ers bringing Smith back. Primarily, how would it work after they gave him so many chances to prove himself off the field from 2011-14?

However, there’s also a lot to like about a potential reunion. San Francisco needs pass rush help behind Nick Bosa, who is coming off a torn ACL. It is not in the greatest of cap situations. Meanwhile, the organization has changed leaps and bounds since the Jim Harbaugh era. Kyle Shanahan is a more player-friendly coach. There’s a ton of veterans on defense to help Smith. There’s a community within the organization that can help him stay on the right path. It almost makes too much sense.