The Arizona Cardinals‘ decision to trade Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans may have looked sudden from the outside. According to one new report, the groundwork had been forming for weeks.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported Monday that the process began when Harrison hired veteran agents Todd France and Tory Dandy of Athletes First to handle his situation.
From there, Arizona’s long-term plans at receiver started becoming clearer.
Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Cardinals Exit Started Weeks Earlier
Breer wrote that Harrison’s decision to bring in representation was the first real step toward an eventual exit.
“It actually began weeks ago, with the No. 4 pick from the 2024 draft deciding to hire an agent to handle his situation, bringing in veterans Todd France and Tory Dandy of Athletes First,” Breer wrote.
“Quietly, the groundwork was laid for Harrison’s exit, starting then.”
The Cardinals still weren’t going to move Harrison simply to move him.
Breer reported Arizona was seeking a second-round pick plus an additional piece in return, a price substantial enough to justify moving a 24-year-old receiver the franchise had selected No. 4 overall just two years earlier.
Houston eventually met that threshold.
The Texans sent Arizona a 2027 second-round pick and 2027 sixth-round pick for Harrison and a 2027 seventh-rounder. The move also reunited Harrison with C.J. Stroud, his quarterback for two seasons at Ohio State.
Breer reported Houston’s effort to make that reunion happen intensified over the weekend before the deal was completed Sunday.
That final push came only after Arizona had already made another decision that Breer viewed as an important clue.
Cardinals Had Already Committed to Michael Wilson, Trey McBride
The writing on Harrison’s future, according to Breer, became clearer when Arizona committed significant money elsewhere in its receiving corps.
The Cardinals signed Michael Wilson to a three-year, $75 million extension in September, keeping him under contract through 2029. Wilson was coming off a 2025 season in which he caught 78 passes for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns.
Tight end Trey McBride was already locked into a four-year, $76 million extension through 2029.
Breer wrote that Arizona’s decision to extend Wilson to pair long term with McBride was another sign Harrison could become expendable if the Cardinals received the return they wanted.
Harrison’s production had also fallen sharply.
After catching 62 passes for 885 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie, he finished 2025 with 41 receptions for 608 yards and four scores in 12 games. Through four games this season, Harrison had only five catches for 85 yards and one touchdown.
Arizona made him inactive against Detroit on Sunday once the trade was coming together.
Cardinals.com’s Darren Urban reported that head coach Mike LaFleur later said the organization made the move because it believed the deal was in the best interest of the team.
The trade itself happened quickly once Houston became serious. Breer’s reporting makes clear the conditions that allowed it to happen had been developing well before the weekend.
Harrison hiring France and Dandy gave his situation experienced representation. Arizona’s extension of Wilson further established where its long-term money was going. The Cardinals then held firm until Houston offered the Day 2 pick they wanted.
What looked like a sudden breakup was, according to Breer, something Arizona and Harrison had quietly been moving toward for weeks.
Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr.-Texans Trade Started With 1 Quiet Move: Report