Former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold is planning to sign with the Seattle Seahawks while facing felony charges of kidnapping and armed robbery, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday.
Arnold was arrested in Florida on June 24. The 23-year-old cornerback was charged with four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery after voluntarily surrendering to police.
He was released on $1 million bond five days after his arrest, after initially being held without bond. The Lions released him shortly afterwards.
Despite his legal issues, Arnold had drawn interest from NFL teams, and had tried out with Houston Texans, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints in addition to the Seahawks.
Arnold's release on bond means that he is free to join Seattle for now, with his trial still pending. However, it's possible that Arnold will still be punished under the NFL's personal conduct policy, which allows the league broad judgment to suspend players who engage in actions detrimental to the league's public image — usually related to violence, drugs, or other illegal activities. It is also possible that the NFL will place Arnold on the Commissioner’s Exempt List for this upcoming season.
After being selected by Detroit with the 24th overall pick in 2024, Arnold played in 24 games for the Lions across two seasons.
Arnold's 2025 season came to an early end after he underwent shoulder surgery in December. Prior to that, he racked up 23 solo tackles and an interception in eight games.
Arnold had an arraignment hearing scheduled for Thursday that was conducted remotely. He will have another hearing on Oct. 5, which he will have to attend in person in Tampa, via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta.
Terrion Arnold was arrested in June after allegedly masterminding kidnapping plot
Arnold's charges stem from an incident in February, with authorities alleging that Arnold orchestrated a plot to kidnap and interrogate three men who they accused of stealing $250,000 in personal property from him and the six associates at an Airbnb in Largo. The alleged victims have later been identified as as Arnold's personal driver and the driver's two associates.
Prosecutors say that members of Arnold's group ambushed the alleged victims in an apartment and beating them at gunpoint. Arnold was allegedly not present at the ambush, but prosecutors say that he sat outside the apartment in a car and watched it happen on a FaceTime call.
Investigators allegedly found a group chat with all members of the group, in which Arnold and his childhood friend Boakai Hilton Jr. gave instructions to the other alleged co-conspirators.
Arnold had initially denied his involvement in the situation, but during his arrest, Tampa police pointed to him being "the primary conspirator" in the plan. Six others were arrested in connection with the case: Hilton, Lyndell Hudson, Freddie Lee Hughes III, Christion Williams, Arianna Del Valle and Jasmine Randazzo.
Del Valle and Randazzo pleaded guilty and agreed to testify in future proceedings, according to a June statement from the State Attorney's Office in Hillsborough. Randazzo was sentenced to four years in Florida State Prison, followed by six years of probation. Del Valle, who was identified by a judge in February as Arnold's girlfriend, entered an open plea with the court and will be sentenced later.