Aldon Smith could miss five weeks; 49ers will pay his salary

The San Francisco 49ers are expecting to be without Aldon Smith for at least five weeks, according to a report.

Smith entered rehab this week following his second DUI-related incident. The latest stop occurred last Friday morning around 7 a.m. Smith allegedly had pills and marijuana with him in addition to being drunk. The 49ers let Smith play in their home loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but his locker was cleared out following the game and the team announced he would be entering rehab.

According to NFL.com’s Albert Breer, the Niners expect Smith to be in rehab for a minimum of 3-4 weeks, and they’re expecting to be without him for at least five weeks. Additionally, Breer says the feeling is that the league will suspend Smith 2-4 games after his case goes through the court system. Altogether, the recent DUI incident could cost Smith around half a season, though that amount of games might not be missed consecutively.

Another interesting note is that the 49ers will pay Smith’s full salary while he’s in rehab. It’s certainly a nice gesture by the team, but keep in mind that he’s only making about $100,000 a week and severely underpaid based on how good of a player he is.

San Francisco crushed St. Louis on Thursday night in their first game without the all-pro pass rusher.

Helmet smack to the Red Zone