On Monday, the Detroit Lions announced that they intended to release cornerback Terrion Arnold. While they waited two days to officially make the decision, the official transaction appeared on the NFL’s transaction wire on Wednesday, July 1.
When the team announced the decision, it was unclear whether he would be released or waived, but according to the official transaction list, he was waived. That is because he is still on his rookie contract and did not have the accrued seasons to bypass waivers. Even though his circumstances are much different than a normal release, he will go through the waiver process.
Now, NFL teams have until Monday, July 6, at 4 PM EST to put in their waiver requests for Arnold if they would like to claim him, per the official NFL release.
Detroit Lions Cornerback Terrion Arnold is Officially Waived
GettyDetroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold.
However, there is no expectation that a team is going to claim Arnold. While teams decide whether to put in a bid on Arnold, the former first-round pick will be making a new appearance in court.
Arnold was arrested on eight felony charges of robbery and kidnapping. He posted bond and is currently on house arrest, although he could leave for work purposes. On Monday, Arnold is scheduled to appear in court after prosecutors requested that he wear an ankle monitor.
It is hard to see a team wanting to take on the public relations that come with claiming a player who might be wearing an ankle monitor while he awaits a trial. Considering Arnold is no longer employed and is unlikely to be employed anytime soon, he is expected to stay on house arrest.
Lions Entire Secondary Takes a Massive Hit Without Arnold
By waiving Arnold, the team is going to have to take on dead cap hits of $6.6M in 2026 and $4.5M in 2027. If a team claims him, they would pick up the remaining two years of his rookie deal, but the Lions would still have the cap hits.
This is a tough loss for the Lions, who were relying on Arnold to be a big piece of their defense in 2026. He was entering his third year, and expectations were for him to be a starter. The team has D.J. Reed on the outside and Roger McCreary in the slot. They are now going to look for a starter on the outside across from Reed.
Options on the roster include Rock Ya-Sin, Ennis Rakestraw, and Keith Abney.
Ya-Sin is the leader to take the job, but he is a journeyman veteran and does not have a lock on the job beyond this year. Rakestraw was taken in the same draft as Arnold, but has proven even less in two years. Abney is a rookie, but was projected to get work in the slot this offseason.
Detroit also has serious questions at safety. Brian Branch is expected to miss significant time, and Kerby Joseph has an even more mysterious injury. So, the secondary is going to enter training camp with serious questions.
Lions Make Terrion Arnold Decision Official