The Arizona Cardinals' divorce with 2024 fourth overall pick wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is actually happening. Arizona is trading the 24-year-old, along with a 2027 seventh-round pick, to the Houston Texans for a 2027 second-round draft pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick, according to ESPN. Rumors swirled over the weekend that a trade could be imminent.
Harrison Jr., the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, is now the first wide receiver since Ahmad Rashad in 1974 to be traded within his first three NFL seasons after being selected in the top five of the NFL draft, per CBS Sports Research. Rashad was also traded from the Cardinals and was sent to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for quarterback Dennis Shaw.
Harrison Jr. struggled to stand out for the 1-3 Cardinals early in 2026 with five catches for 85 yards receiving and a touchdown. His five catches are tied for sixth on Arizona, ranking behind All-Pro tight end Trey McBride (33), wide receiver Michael Wilson (25), wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (13), rookie running back Jeremiyah Love (11) and running back Tyler Allgeier (10). For his Cardinals career, he totaled 108 catches for 1,578 yards receiving and 13 receiving touchdowns despite 202 targets, the third-most on the team since 2024. He trailed only McBridge (362) and Wilson (241) in targets in the span of his young career.
Harrison Jr. now heads east to join the Houston Texans (1-4), which means a reunion with C.J. Stroud, his collegiate quarterback at Ohio State. The Texans need another wide receiver outside of two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins to emerge for Stroud, with once-promising wide receiver Tank Dell's career derailed by injury. Dell went down in Week 16 of the 2024 season with a dislocated kneecap, torn ACL, LCL, MCL, and meniscus damage, and he hasn't suited up since.
