RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said one factor in the team’s decision to offer Terrion Arnold a contract despite the felony charges he’s facing was the “overwhelmingly positive” reviews they heard while vetting the free agent cornerback.
“We feel really strongly about our locker room and our team, and we had a great visit with Terrion,” Macdonald said. “Obviously we knew him throughout the [predraft process in 2024]. I referenced the folks that have been in his corner throughout the whole process as well, and we respect those people. We’re not going to ignore those folks that we really respect and have a strong opinion about it as well.
“When you put all those things together, it felt like it was a good opportunity for the team.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Arnold planned to sign with the Seahawks after also visiting with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants. He has agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary deal. Macdonald said the two sides are working through when Arnold will fly to Seattle to sign it, “but we have an agreement with him and we’ll see.”
Macdonald acknowledged the uncertainty over when Arnold will be available to play. He could be placed on the NFL commissioner exempt list — which would allow him to attend team meetings but not practice or play — while the league investigates the matter.
Macdonald said the Seahawks did their “due diligence” on Arnold’s legal situation but declined multiple times to discuss specifics of his case or the alleged incident.
Arnold, 23, is facing eight felony charges stemming from a kidnapping and robbery in Tampa, Florida, in February. He was arrested in Hillsborough County in June after turning himself in and was released the following week by the Detroit Lions, who had drafted him in the first round in 2024.
Arnold is accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and beating of three men whom prosecutors believe he wrongly suspected of stealing $100,000 in cash from him, along with luxury watches and bags. He’s facing four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery, which carry a potential sentence of life in prison.
Arnold has pleaded not guilty and, through his representatives, has denied the allegations. No trial date has been set.
“For us to comment on that right now is not our place, nor should we,” Macdonald said. “So again, it’s a serious situation. We understand that. But to make any comment further, it’s not the time or place right now.”
Karl Scott, the Seahawks’ defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator, recruited Arnold to Alabama. Jalen Milroe, Seattle’s No. 3 quarterback, is a close friend and former college teammate. The Seahawks spoke to them and several others about Arnold, including former Alabama coach Nick Saban and ex-NFL defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who now works for the school as the football program’s director of player development.
“It’s overwhelmingly positive, it really is,” Macdonald said of the feedback Seattle received on Arnold. “Again, it’s a serious situation. There’s allegations there that are serious. If you separate that from the person that they talk about [him being] on a daily basis and their history with him, it’s been overwhelmingly positive.”
The Seahawks brought Arnold to team headquarters Sunday for a meeting that included a workout.
“We had a great visit,” Macdonald said. “We had a great discussion. It was a real discussion. We just kept it real. I have a responsibility coming from the organization about what we expect and also what our vision would be for him and how it would operate, and he was great. He was great. I appreciated his honesty in those moments, and that’s really all you could ask for.”
The Seahawks thought highly of Arnold leading up to the 2024 draft, when he was taken 24th overall by Detroit. He has one interception and 18 passes defensed in 24 career games. A shoulder injury limited him to eight games last season and eventually required surgery.
“It’s a really great opportunity that we think his skill set fits in our secondary,” Macdonald said. “He plays with a lot of energy, physicality. Some of the pattern-match stuff that we do is more up his alley that he did at Alabama. And then just personality-wise, I think there’s an opportunity there, if he’s the best version of himself, that he could be a fit for us. So we’ll see.
“When he gets in the building, we’ll go about our business that we normally do and go try and be the best version of us that we can possibly be, and that includes him. That’s the message to our team on the daily. We want our players to come in and be the best versions of themselves. We believe that if you do that, then the team is going to be better for that as well. So Terrion, it’ll be the same process with him if and when he gets here.”
