Texans Sign Damon Arnette
The Houston Texans have signed cornerback Damon Arnette to a one-year contract, according to sources close to the situation. Arnette, who was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft, is looking to return to the NFL after facing various legal issues.
Recently, Arnette played in the UFL in 2025 for the Houston Roughnecks.
This signature comes shortly after a federal judge in Colorado ordered Arnette to pay more than $78,000 to a dancer who alleged she was assaulted by him at a party in March 2023. Arnette was accused of hitting the woman and slamming her head against the floor.
Selected in the first round by the Las Vegas Raiders, coming from Ohio State, Arnette was released in November 2021 after playing a total of 13 games in two seasons. This happened after facing a lawsuit for an alleged hit and run, and after a video was leaked where Arnette made death threats while displaying firearms.
The Dolphins signed him to their practice squad in December 2021, but he didn’t play any games and wasn’t re-signed in the offseason. The Kansas City Chiefs signed him to a futures contract on January 20, 2022, but he was released on January 29 after being jailed in Las Vegas on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, carrying or concealing a weapon without a permit, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana or cannabis.
The January 2022 case was dismissed by the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, but in May 2023, a grand jury indicted Arnette on assault with a deadly weapon and related firearm charges related to the incident. Arnette agreed to a plea deal.
Arnette hadn’t signed with an NFL team since the Chiefs and was involved in additional legal troubles.
In July 2022, Arnette was arrested in Miami on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license. In January 2024, Arnette was arrested and charged with possession of less than one gram of methamphetamine and unlawful carrying of a firearm in Richardson, Texas.
According to reports, Arnette entered a diversion program for the Miami charges. His lawyers said at the time that the arrest in Texas was because Arnette could not provide a prescription for a legal medication.
