Seahawks Sign Terrion Arnold, Now Wait for NFL's Exempt List Ruling

The Seattle Seahawks have apparently looked at their secondary and decided the missing piece is a guy currently staring down felony robbery and kidnapping charges. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold is planning to sign with Seattle, ending a bizarre free-agency tour that also included stops with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, and New York Giants.

Yes, four different NFL front offices looked at a player arrested in February for multiple serious felonies and thought, well, how are his hips in man coverage? The Seahawks won the sweepstakes, but they might have just signed a ghost.

"ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the signing and the pending decision on the Commissioner's Exempt List."

The immediate hurdle isn't learning the playbook before Seattle's preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend. It is the NFL league office. The league now has to decide whether to place Arnold on the Commissioner's Exempt List, which is essentially paid administrative leave for players dealing with serious legal issues.

If you are looking at Seattle's futures or defensive props, do not factor Arnold into the equation just yet. Being placed on the exempt list means he cannot practice or attend games. He would just be a name on a ledger taking up cap space while the legal process plays out.

The fact that Arnold even had a market tells you everything you need to know about how the NFL values premium positions. Cornerbacks who can play are scarce enough that teams will happily ignore massive off-field red flags if they think there is even a fractional chance the guy gets cleared to suit up.

Now we wait on the league office. Until the NFL makes an official ruling on his exempt status, Arnold is a Seahawk in name only. Seattle took the PR hit to acquire him, but it might be a long time before they actually get to see him on a football field.