The awkward separation between wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and the Arizona Cardinals is now complete.
He is now a Houston Texan after his new team reportedly sent multiple draft picks to Arizona in exchange for the fourth overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft. Houston shipped a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for the 24-year-old wideout and a 2027 seventh-round draft choice.
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 years in the NFL after being selected as a top-five pick, per CBS Sports Research. Rashad was also traded from the Cardinals and was shipped to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for quarterback Dennis Shaw.
| WRs traded within first three seasons as top-five picks in Common Draft era (Since 1967) | 1974 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
Wide receiver | Ahmad Rashad | Marvin Harrison Jr. |
Overall pick | 4th | 4th |
Traded from | Cardinals | Cardinals |
Traded to | ||
Trade compensation received | QB Dennis Shaw | 2027 2nd-round pick, 2027 6th-round pick |
So, who came out with the better haul in the exchange? Here are trade grades for both the Texans and the Cardinals in terms of how they made out in the deal.
Houston Texans: C-
The Houston Texans are grasping at straws in 2026. They are 1-4 and enter the late afternoon games in Week 5, averaging the second-fewest rushing yards per game (57.4) and the fewest rushing yards per carry (3.0) by a team's running back group in the entire league.
Houston's disappointing start has nothing to do with quarterback C.J. Stroud. His 280.4 passing yards per game rank as the fourth-most in the NFL entering the Week 5 late afternoon games, and his 6-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio is tied for the second-best in the league. Stroud's 185 throws without an interception are now the fourth most in the league through four games in NFL history, per CBS Sports Research. That's why the Texans have made their second wide receiver trade of 2026 after dealing safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots this offseason in exchange for veteran wide receiver Kayshon Boutte.
Stroud will be asked to put the Texans' offense on his back this season, so why not trade for a former collegiate target of his? He and Harrison Jr. were Ohio State teammates for two seasons from 2021 to 2022, and Harrison Jr.'s 14 receiving touchdowns when Stroud was the starting quarterback in 2022 are tied for the third most in a single season in Buckeyes' history. Harrison Jr. also set or tied career-highs in catches (77), receiving yards (1,263) and receiving touchdowns (14) in that 2022 season with Stroud.
Houston also needed another wide receiver to make an impact outside of two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins, since once-exciting wide receiver Tank Dell's NFL career was sidetracked by a significant knee 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 played a game since.
| Most receiving TD in a season, Ohio State history | Receiving TD |
|---|---|
Terry Glenn (1995) | 17 |
Jeremiah Smith (2024) | 15 |
Marvin Harrison Jr. (2023) | 14 |
Marvin Harrison Jr. (2022)* | 14* |
David Boston (1997) | 14 |
* C.J. Stroud was Ohio State's starting QB in 2022
Houston was desperate and filled a need, but what it spent to acquire Harrison is a little rich, given the writing was on the wall that Harrison Jr.'s Cardinals' career was coming to an end.
Arizona Cardinals: B+
The Cardinals did about as good a job as they could to recoup value for Harrison Jr., with everyone and their grandma aware that Harrison Jr.'s time in Arizona was a bust and about to end. A second-round pick in the vaunted 2027 NFL Draft is ideal. Plus, they moved up a round at the back of the draft, sending a 2027 seventh-round pick along with Harrison Jr. and getting a 2027 sixth-round pick back.
Despite racking up 202 targets in Arizona, the third-most on the team since 2024, he totaled just 108 catches for 1,578 yards receiving and 13 receiving touchdowns while failing to build a consistent rapport with both Kyler Murray and Jacoby Brissett. He trailed only McBridge (362) and Wilson (241) in targets on the Cardinals since entering the league.
Arizona could have earned an A- or an A if it had gotten a first-round pick in return for the former top-five pick. Harrison Jr. is under team contract for up to a maximum of three more seasons on his rookie deal, including the rest of 2026. That's a decent value for a team that believes all he needed was a change of scenery. However, what the Cardinals did receive back was solid, all things considered.
