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Cardinals Trade Marvin Harrison Jr. to Texans for Draft Picks
Confirmed
In Short: The Arizona Cardinals traded wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans for a 2027 second-round and sixth-round pick, according to ESPN.
The Arizona Cardinals traded wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans for a 2027 second-round and sixth-round pick, according to ESPN. The deal reunites Harrison with his former Ohio State quarterback, C.J. Stroud, who now plays for the Texans.
Harrison, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, had a promising rookie season with 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. However, his sophomore campaign was marred by injuries, limiting him to 12 games and resulting in 41 catches for 608 yards and four scores.
In his first four games with the Cardinals this season, Harrison had five receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown. His performance and effort on the field raised questions about his commitment, leading to speculation about a trade.
The Cardinals sent Harrison and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Texans in exchange for a 2027 second-round and sixth-round pick. ESPN’s Seth Walder gave the Cardinals an 'A-' grade and the Texans a 'C+' grade for the trade.
Harrison’s player-tracking metrics have been mediocre but not awful, with 47 and 54 overall in ESPN’s receiver scores in 2024 and 2025, respectively. He has 1,578 receiving yards in 33 career games, averaging 1.5 yards per route run, a 46th percentile number among wide receivers who have run at least 15 routes per team game in that span.
The trade was finalized after the Cardinals informed Harrison he would be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. The team may have been motivated to complete the deal sooner due to Harrison’s below-standard effort in route-running and blocking.
The Houston Texans, who are grasping at straws in 2026, have made their second wide receiver trade of the season. They previously traded for veteran wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in the offseason.
The Cardinals are now focusing on their primary options, tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Michael Wilson, with Harrison no longer a part of their plans.
What this adds
The trade reunites Harrison with his former Ohio State quarterback, C.J. Stroud, who now plays for the Texans.
ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed the details of the trade, including the picks exchanged.
The Cardinals' decision to trade Harrison was influenced by his performance and effort on the field, which raised questions about his commitment.
Background
The Arizona Cardinals traded wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans for two draft picks, ESPN reported.
ESPN reports the Arizona Cardinals are finalizing a deal to trade wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who will be inactive for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions.
What's confirmed
- Unfortunately, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison has fallen well below expectations.
- NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Texans coach DeMeco Ryans ended his postgame news conference in grand fashion Sunday by telling reporters that Houston had completed a trade for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. The Texans sent two picks in the 2027 draft (a second-rounder and sixth-rounder) to the Cardinals for Harrison and a 2027 seventh-round selection, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
- The mystery team that acquired wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals has finally been revealed to be... the Houston Texans, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
- ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently reported that tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Michael Wilson "are clearly the Cardinals' primary options," and the 2024 No. 4 pick "would have a market, though not for a high pick (possibly a quality Day 3 pick, as one team forecasted)."
What's still developing
- Watch: Jacoby Brissett talks team's reaction to Cardinals trading Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans | 59 seconds Trading a No. 4 overall NFL Draft pick well ahead of the trade deadline in their third season is never a good look, but the Arizona Cardinals did well in what they got back for Marvin Harrison Jr., according to ESPN.
- A two-time unanimous All-American at Ohio State and the 2023 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner as the best receiver in the nation, Harrison was once viewed as an undeniable future superstar in the NFL.
- The circumstances behind his exit were a little odd.
- The news was initially revealed by Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans after Sunday's victory over the Tennesee Titans.
- To make matters worse, Harrison's body language on the field this season raised questions about whether he was giving his full effort to the Cardinals, who have a 1-3 record and were known to be a rebuilding team this season.
- “Execs from multiple teams told me they wouldn’t have given higher than Day 3 (4 th or 5 th ) for Marvin Harrison Jr.,” Yahoo Sports senior reporter Jori Epstein posted on X.
- By Josh Weinfuss Oct 10, 2026 | 11:51 AM The Cardinals are finalizing a deal to trade Marvin Harrison Jr., sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
- Sunday, October 4, 2026 · 2:16 PM ET In Short: ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this week that the Arizona Cardinals are open to trade talks for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., though the team is not enthusiastic about the idea.
- Jordan Schultz confirms the news and adds that the teams involved in the deal would “prefer the trade destination is not announced” until they’ve played their Week 5 game.