The second episode of Hard Knocks ended with video from free-agent cornerback Terrion Arnold’s workout with the Seahawks. The third episode, debuting tonight, could be interesting.
Depending on what the team allows into the final cut.
The Seahawks believed Arnold would be able to play in the preseason. They miscalculated. Arnold, to no surprise, will land on the Commissioner Exempt list when he’s signed, due to the eight pending felony charges that carry a potential sentence of life in prison.
So what will they do? Pay him to not be available to practice and play? Or will they look for a way to slow play the situation, ultimately not following through on the agreement to sign him?
Unless the Lions have tried to void his guaranteed pay for 2026 and 2027 — and if Arnold loses the inevitable grievance — Arnold will be paid by Detroit. He’s not losing anything if the Seahawks don’t sign him.
What’s the upside? They gain nothing from having Arnold under contract until the criminal charges are resolved in his favor.
The Seahawks apparently would have been willing to pay Arnold the minimum salary for the ability to have him practice and play in the preseason. With no ability to get him on the practice field or use him during games, there’s no benefit to signing him.
Which means they could be looking for a graceful exit. Which won’t be easy to do, given that they announced that they had an agreement in place to sign him.
Hovering over the entire situation is the arrival of new owners of the team. Super Bowl victory notwithstanding, the Khosla family will regard this entire misadventure as odd, to say the least.
That’s hardly the kind of first impression current management will want to make on new ownership.
