Last month former Lions CB Terrion Arnold was arrested due to alleged robbery and kidnapping charges. The incident had occurred in February around Tampa, Florida. Detroit took the decision to release the former Alabama corner. But his NFL future isn’t over yet.

On July 6, Monday, Mike Garafalo reported that Arnold had cleared the waivers and stayed unclaimed. The CB is now eligible to sign with other NFL teams that show interest in him. However, his return to the NFL won’t be an easy ride, as the legal process is still pending. He also carries extra baggage apart from his off the field issues.

“You’ve probably seen that teams are interested in Terrion Arnold. Why wouldn’t they just claim him?” said NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo during his July appearance on ‘The Insiders.’ “Well, if you claim him, you’re taking on the whole roster or the whole contract, including all the guaranteed money as well. There are teams that would be interested in, let’s say, for the minimum deal and taking on very little risk with Terrion Arnold potentially moving forward.”

“In addition to a lot of questions that are unanswered right now when it comes to the legal process, there was a hearing that was supposed to be today that got pushed back to Friday as to whether he’ll have to wear an ankle monitor throughout the process. So some of these teams, yes, will be interested, but not at the rate that they would have had him at if they had claimed him on waivers.”

The waiver system operates based on whether a players is vested or non-vested. Vested players are NFL veterans with four or more accrued seasons of service time, while non-vested players have fewer than four. The core difference is that non-vested players must always pass through waivers when they are cut, whereas vested veterans are generally released directly to free agency. The exception is after the mid-season trade deadline, when all players are forced through waivers.

To put it more plainly for Terrion’s case, if a player with fewer than four years of NFL experience is cut, they go to waivers. Teams submit claims in a specific priority order, which usually mirrors the draft order. The problem is that if a team claims that player, they also inherit the player’s exact current contract, including all remaining financial obligations and salary cap hits.

But if no team submits a claim within the 24-hour window, they become a free agent. Their previous contract is terminated, and they can negotiate an entirely new deal with any team. If a team had claimed Arnold, they would have been forced to take on the remaining two years and $4.848 million of his fully guaranteed rookie contract. By letting him pass through waivers unclaimed, teams erased that old contract. They can now negotiate a much cheaper, risk-free, one-year contract at the league minimum value.

Arnold was arrested on June 24 on 8 felony charges. He was released from jail within six days after posting a $1M bond. Though the prosecution tried to keep him with a demand of a GPS tether, Chief Judge Christopher Sabella didn’t agree to the motion. However, the prosecution didn’t stop there and again knocked on the court door with the same request.

The defense attorney Harvey Steinberg argued the tether could impact Arnold’s football career. Terrion is expected to meet teams after clearing the waiver. “He [Terrion Arnold] already has been contacted by three other NFL clubs regarding his services,” said Steinberg. “[He] anticipates that he will have employment with another NFL team within 30 days.”

But the matter is far from settled as a hearing regarding the tether will take place on July 10. It has a big role to determine the CB’s chance to play in the NFL again. However, there’s a solid chance of his return, because if you look at the past, there are players who successfully entered the NFL after having an arrest history.

Michael Vick was arrested in 2007 on felony charges related to a dogfighting ring. After doing time in prison, he returned to the NFL with the Eagles and eventually built a lasting legacy in the league.

Uncertainty exists for the NFL CB

At this moment, Terrion Arnold becomes a free agent, but there are unanswered questions. The NFL takes players’ history related to any illegal act very seriously. In this case, Arnold has been accused of being a mastermind to rob three men. Though later it was allegedly proved that he had no direct involvement with the Tampa incident, the legal battle isn’t over.

“So I think this will be a relatively slow process for Arnold, as teams go to compile information and wait for the legal process to play out a little bit, because remember, the NFL, in a lot of cases, will wait until the legal process plays out before levying a suspension,” said Mike Garafolo during a July appearance on The Insiders.

“But sometimes, in the meantime, they can say no, [put him on] the commissioner’s exempt list. Because there’s just too much evidence right now that just doesn’t look really good in our opinion, or what not, so teams are waiting to get a little bit more answers before we get a resolution on his future in the NFL.”

Now, it’s a waiting game for former Lions CB Terrion Arnold. If the NFL gives him a clear record and he passes through the court system without punishment, we could see him put on pads again.