By Jason Owens, Staff writer
The Detroit Lions cut former first-round draft pick Terrion Arnold in June following his arrest on felony kidnapping and armed robbery charges. His legal peril isn’t scaring other teams away.
The Seattle Seahawks confirmed Monday that they hosted a tryout for Arnold. Head coach Mike Macdonald addressed the team’s interest in the 23-year-old cornerback and told reporters that the meeting with Arnold was “a great visit, a great tryout.” He also acknowledged “other things” regarding Arnold’s status.
“It’s enough right now that we had him in for a great visit, a great tryout,” Macdonald said. “It’s a situation where there’s other things that are surrounding it as well. We’re aware of that. We’re working through the situation right now. …
“But it was a great visit. I really enjoyed meeting him, and I think he enjoyed being here, so we’ll see where it goes.”
The reigning Super Bowl champions aren’t the only team kicking the tires on Arnold.
Several teams expressing interest in Arnold
Arnold has already worked out for the Houston Texans and had a tryout scheduled with the New Orleans Saints following his Sunday workout with the Seahawks, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. Citing court testimony from Arnold’s agent, Texans beat reporter Aaron Wilson reported in July that the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts had also been in touch with Arnold.
Arnold is a standout young cornerback whom the Lions selected with the 24th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. His talent and age add up to tremendous value in the NFL. He also faces eight felony charges that could carry a maximum of life in prison if he’s convicted.
The heat around Arnold became too high for the team that drafted him. But in the cutthroat world of NFL competition, his talent is proving too much for other teams to rule out giving him a look.
What Arnold is accused of
In total, Arnold faces three counts of armed robbery, three counts of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping stemming from an alleged incident in February resulted in his arrest in Tampa, Florida, on June 24.
Arnold is accused of orchestrating an abduction and interrogation of three men, identified as his personal driver and two of the driver’s associates, who were accused of stealing more than $250,000 in personal property belonging to the defendants from an Airbnb.
Police claim members of Arnold’s group ambushed the alleged victims at an apartment and spent the better part of an hour beating them at gunpoint, with one of the defendants livestreaming the proceedings to Arnold while he was en route to the apartment.
Per police, the victims were eventually released at around 1:40 a.m. Tampa police describe Arnold as “the primary conspirator” in the incident that resulted in the arrest of six others.
Arnold has denied the allegations via a statement from his representative, Denise White.
“Terrion Arnold categorically denies any involvement in the matters underlying the allegations made against him and maintains his innocence.
Arnold has been free on $1 million bond and is scheduled for an arraignment hearing Thursday in Tampa, where he’ll be slated to enter a formal plea.
Beyond Thursday’s hearing, what’s next on the legal front for Arnold is unclear. But assuming he pleads not guilty and remains free from jail or prison, it’s safe to assume that NFL teams will continue to conduct the due diligence and risk assessment of doing business with him.