BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 22: Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (6) waits for the snap of the ball during the Detroit Lions game versus the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on September 22, 2025, in Baltimore, MD. (Charles Brock / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks are expected to sign free agent cornerback Terrion Arnold, a source confirmed to FOX 13 Seattle on Thursday afternoon.
The agreement was first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
The former first-round pick and Detroit Lions cornerback is facing charges for felony kidnapping and armed robbery in Florida. He had a workout with the Seahawks on Sunday and also visited the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants before making a decision to sign with Seattle.
The backstory:
Arnold was released by the Lions in June after he was officially charged in a plot to detain, rob and beat three people whom he believed had stolen goods and cash from him, according to the Florida State Attorney's Office.
"We had him in for a great visit, a great tryout," head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday. "It’s a situation where there’s other things surrounding it as well. We’re aware of that. We’re working through the situation right now. I enjoyed meeting him and he enjoyed being here. We’ll see how it goes."
Arnold had an arraignment scheduled for Thursday. According to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, his next scheduled court date is a status update on October 5, which will be in-person in Tampa.
The Seahawks have multiple connections to Arnold from his time at the University of Alabama. Seahawks defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Karl Scott was a cornerback coach at Alabama from 2018-20 and helped recruit Arnold to Tuscaloosa.
He also played alongside cornerback Josh Jobe and quarterback Jalen Milroe, who is very close friends with Arnold.
"I'll say number one, he's gonna give us everything he got," Milroe said of Arnold before the agreement on Thursday. "You know, of course, being with him at Alabama, the amount of passion that he plays with, how smart he is, how detail-oriented he is. I think something that's unique about him is that he can do everything, whether it's being a man corner, whether it's traveling and playing man, whether it's playing a zone, press-and-bail. Like, he's diverse, you know, when it comes to you know what he can do at the cornerback position. This is someone that played basketball. He's very athletic, can jump, can move, can bend.
"Of course, that's my best friend, like I can hype him up a lot, but man, I really hope he can come here. He could definitely be a difference-maker for us. But no, he's very versatile, and I'll be excited if he's here."
Dig deeper:
Arnold is officially facing charges of kidnapping, armed robbery, and conspiracy, which carry a sentence of up to life in prison, if convicted.
Three teenagers were reportedly held at gunpoint, battered, and pistol-whipped by a number of assailants in a Tampa apartment on February 4. The altercation came three days after high-end items and cash were reported stolen from an Airbnb rental in Largo.
Six total people were charged alongside Arnold: Boakai Hilton, Lyndell Hudson, Freddie Lee Hughes III, Christion Williams, Arianna Del Valle and Jasmine Randazzo. Del Valle and Randazz pleaded guilty to their roles in the attack on June 24 and agreed to cooperate with authorities. Randazzo was sentenced to four years with six years of probation, and Del Valle is awaiting sentencing at a later date.
Arnold is accused of coordinating the incident, believing the victims had stolen more than $200,000 worth of his personal items. The Attorney's Office said there is no evidence to support the victims' involvement in the theft.
"No one has the right to take the law into their own hands. A dispute over missing property does not justify kidnapping, violence, or retaliation. This arrest is the result of months of investigative work and collaboration between the Tampa Police Department and our prosecutors. We will continue to pursue justice for the three victims by holding everyone accountable for their roles in this crime," State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in June.
Additional investigation into cell phone evidence and testimony provided by co-defendants supported the charges against Arnold.
The NFL could elect to place Arnold on the Commissioner's Exempt list during the duration of his legal proceedings, which would make him ineligible to play for Seattle.
Arnold's workout with the Seahawks was shown on the most recent episode of HBO's Hard Knocks. Conversations shown between Macdonald, defensive coordinator Aden Durde, and general manager John Schneider made it apparent the team's interest in adding Arnold was a real thing.
"We’re going to do our due diligence," Macdonald said. "There’s a lot of people in Terrion’s corner that we respect in terms of the type of guy he is. We’re going to work through all of that, and I trust our people to make the best decision for us. We also think this is a great place to come work too, and that people can be the best version of themselves if given the opportunity. Works both ways."
The Seahawks lost cornerback Riq Woolen over the offseason with Jobe expected to step into the full-time starting role alongside Devon Witherspoon. Third-year corner Nehemiah Pritchett has been getting most of the No. 3 cornerback reps with third-round pick Julian Neal sidelined most of training camp with an injury. Veteran addition Noah Igbinoghene and rookies Andre Fuller and Michael Dansby are among those fighting for depth spots at cornerback.
"I have a ton of confidence in our defensive back room," Macdonald said. "This is a situation of; we’re in everything all the time. We’re always trying to make our team the best we can make it and whether or not Terrion ends up here or works out or it doesn’t, we’ll keep on rolling the way we know how."
The Source: Information in this story came from ESPN.com and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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