NFL Rumors: Greg Hardy reportedly upset after Aldon Smith signs contract

Free agent defensive end Greg Hardy is reportedly not happy that a player with similar legal troubles was signed to a deal while Hardy continues to wait.

When you look at the numbers on the field for free agent defensive end Greg Hardy, there is little doubt that he should be signed and on an NFL roster for the 2016 season.

When you look at everything else surrounding the former Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys starter, you can understand why teams aren’t jumping at the chance. With a past that included domestic violence and weapons charges (along with reports that he partied way too much while in Dallas last season), teams are stepping back from offering a deal.

That is bothering Hardy, who (according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole) is upset that he is being ignored while Aldon Smith signed a two-year deal with the Oakland Raiders. Smith has also had multiple brushes with the law, including charges for weapons, drugs, DUI and a hit and run accident last August.

Hardy was charged with domestic violence after an incident in which he allegedly threw his then-girlfriend around his apartment while threatening to kill her and pinning her on a bed covered with assault weapons. Charges would be dropped after the victim refused to cooperate, and the Panthers wouldn’t resign Hardy.

The Cowboys signed Hardy in the 2015 offseason before the NFL suspended him for 10 games, which was reduced to four games on appeal. He had 35 tackles, six sacks and one interception in 12 starts during the 2015 season.

Recently, Hardy caused a firestorm of controversy when, in an ESPN interview, he said that he never hit a woman despite pictures released of the victim’s bruises from the 2014 case. That fact might make it harder for him to get on an NFL roster for the 2016 season.

For more NFL Free Agency news, check out our NFL Free Agency hub page.