San Francisco 49ers GM: Team wants keep Aldon Smith, Vernon Davis
San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said that the team plans to keep linebacker Aldon Smith and veteran tight end Vernon Davis.
Smith, 25, is in the final season of his deal, after restructuring his $9.75 million contract. He missed the first nine games of last season for violating the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse polices.
Smith has been arrested three times in the past three years, booked on charges ranging from illegal possession of an assault weapon to suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana to making a false report of a bomb threat at the Los Angeles International Airport.
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“Aldon's like any young player, he's growing up, he's maturing. You see that with a lot of these guys,” Baalke said. “Some of them get themselves in a few more situations that you wish they didn't. If you asked them, I think they'd say the same thing. Really pleased with the way he's handled things, the way he's working both personally and professionally.”
In the 50 games he has played since San Francisco selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Smith has 44 sacks and five forced fumbles.
Davis, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2016, caught only 26 passes for 245 yards in 14 games last season, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2006.
“He wants to be here long-term,” Baalke said. “We're always going to try to keep our own. Sometimes it works, as you've seen, sometimes it doesn't. Vernon and I have had conversations and we'll leave it at that. But he understands where we are and we certainly understand where he is.”
Davis, a two-time Pro Bowler, has 423 catches for 5,446 yards and 55 touchdowns in his career.
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