On Monday, July 6, former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold cleared waivers and officially became a free agent. Yet days later, the talented defensive back is still searching for his next NFL home.

Attorney Harvey Steinberg informed the court that although the Lions released Arnold following his recent off-field issues, he expects to sign with a new NFL team within the next 30 days.

"Although Mr. Arnold has been released by the Detroit Lions organization, he has already been contacted by three other NFL clubs regarding his services," Steinberg wrote, according to Mark Inabinett of AL.com, as cited by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing AL.com, Steinberg claims that a few teams were interested in his client, but since he was placed on waivers, no team has come forward to claim him, especially given the possibility that the NFL could place him on paid leave before training camp.

The Lions could avoid paying the remaining $4.85 million in guaranteed salary if they invoked the contract's personal-conduct clause.

However, that same clause would not apply to any team claiming him off waivers. Any team that claimed him would inherit the remaining $4.85 million in guaranteed money.

That said, despite Steinberg claiming that a few teams were in contact with his client, no team submitted a waiver claim, allowing Arnold to become a free agent.

It must be noted that the attorney has not disclosed which clubs those are.

While Arnold has been cleared by the court, a July 10 hearing still looms over the possibility of a GPS tether. His legal team is expected to highlight his career prospects, with his agent set to testify about potential employment opportunities, as per John Maakaron of the Detroit Lions on SI.

Arnold's departure has also intensified concerns about Detroit's secondary heading into the season.

Detroit's biggest concern grows after Terrion Arnold's exit

While other NFL teams are bolstering their offenses and defenses ahead of the 2026 season, the Lions are grappling with their own vulnerabilities, particularly on defense, which has taken a major hit following Arnold's release.

ESPN Analyst Mike Clay, in his latest rankings, revealed the Lions' biggest weakness as their secondary. The Lions' secondary has talent but is riddled with availability concerns heading into the season.

Starting cornerback D.J. Reed missed roughly half of last year through injury, and the spot opposite him is up for grabs after 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold's availability for the season came into question.

Veterans Rock Ya-Sin and Roger McCreary are among those battling for a starting role. At safety, both Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are injury doubts for Week 1 after suffering serious setbacks last season.

The ceiling is there, but a lot of questions need answering before this unit can be trusted, per Clay.

Will Terrion Arnold's absence affect the Lions this season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar