The Seahawks opened their title defense with a 13-10 comeback win over the New England Patriots, and now they turn to Week 2 with a trip to face the Arizona Cardinals.
One of the more familiar names on Seattle’s roster this season, Terrion Arnold, won’t be available for that matchup. He remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt List while his legal case plays out, with eight felony charges hanging over him. For now, though, the financial side of his Seahawks deal is clear: Arnold is due $1,075,000 in base salary this season.
That’s league minimum for a player with two credited seasons, and there’s nothing else built in. No incentives.
No bonuses. No signing bonus.
No guaranteed money.
The bigger issue for Seattle may not be whether Arnold suits up this year, but simply having him under contract. Arnold is only 23, and even with the uncertainty around his availability, the Seahawks still control his rights unless they choose to release him. He was a 2024 first-round pick and has already logged two NFL seasons, so there’s still time for him to become a factor down the road.
The contract angle gets even more interesting because of how accrued seasons work under the CBA. Article 8, Section 1 says a player earns an accrued season for a year in which he is on, or should have been on, full pay status for six or more regular-season games, but games spent on the Exempt Commissioner Permission List do not count.
In plain terms, Arnold can keep getting paid while on the exempt list, but he won’t be building toward free agency. If his legal situation stretches into the offseason and he never plays for Seattle this year, he would be an exclusive rights free agent, which would allow the Seahawks to bring him back in 2027 for $1,120,000.
If he is cleared, comes off the exempt list and plays enough this season to earn an accrued season, then he would be a restricted free agent after the year. That would give John Schneider and Mike Macdonald the option to keep him in 2027 on a restricted free agent tender.
So even though Arnold signed a one-year deal, the way this is set up makes it function like a two-year arrangement, with the second season tied to the RFA tender.
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For Seattle, the message is simple enough: if that defense holds anywhere near this level, the division race is going to stay tight. The Seahawks have plenty to sort out on their own side, but San Francisco showed against Los Angeles that it still has the personnel to make life difficult for every contender in the West. [Read more 🡒]