Fifteen months ago, Terrion Arnold was a first-round steal, the No. 24 overall pick the Lions traded up to grab out of Alabama, where Pro Football Focus had him rated as the top corner in his class. Now he's a free agent working out for teams while fighting felony charges tied to an alleged kidnapping and robbery conspiracy, and somehow both of those things are true at once this week.
The Lions cut him loose after his arrest, and once he cleared waivers he officially became a free man on the open market. According to Aaron Wilson, Arnold's agent Nicole Lynn testified in a Friday court hearing that four teams have reached out about a potential signing.
Terrion Arnold’s agent testified during a hearing that four teams have been in touch about potentially signing him, per @AaronWilson_NFL The 4 teams are: Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Seattle Seahawks New York Jets
Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle and New York aren't just kicking tires from a distance, either. The Texans actually flew Arnold in and put him through a physical.
Former Lions CB Terrion Arnold took a physical in Houston on Thursday for the Texans, and is scheduled to visit two more teams next week, per sources.
That's a real vetting process, not a courtesy call, and Schefter's report that two more visits are already on the calendar suggests this isn't a slow-play situation. A team could realistically have him signed within weeks if the medicals and background checks clear.
The other half of the equation is the legal case, and that's where Friday's ruling matters most. A Florida judge decided Arnold does not have to wear a GPS monitor as a condition of his release, loosening restrictions that had him largely confined to his Tallahassee home outside of team activities and court dates.
Former Lions CB Terrion Arnold does not need to wear a GPS device as a condition of his release, a Florida judge ruled Friday. Story via @Xuan_Thai: t.co/yTm6FKUZuI
For any team weighing whether to sign him, that ruling removes a logistical headache — a tethered player is a lot harder to build a travel and practice schedule around than one who's simply barred from contacting co-defendants and witnesses. It doesn't make the underlying case go away, but it does make Arnold easier to actually employ, and that's clearly why his camp is treating the next 45 days as a real sprint toward a new contract.