The Arizona Cardinals are finalizing a trade for Marvin Harrison Jr. after weeks and weeks of insiders linking him to every team possible.
The hottest trade pitches were perhaps for Harrison Jr. to the Chiefs, the Raiders, or the Steelers, based on how receiver-needy all three of them are.
They could have made calls to the Arizona front office, but the Houston Texans might have beaten all of them to it.
Chiefs, Steelers, and Raiders Could Potentially Lose Marvin Harrison Jr. to Texans
According to the latest inside word, the Cardinals are reportedly finalizing a deal for Harrison Jr., and his landing spot could be Houston. Nothing is official as of now, as they leave the entire NFL guessing about the actual details of the trade.
“One team that has had Marvin Harrison trade talks with Arizona is Houston, sources tell me and Rapoport,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. “Houston has been, and is thought to be, square in the mix for Harrison. But as one Texans source said about the team’s interest in Harrison, “I can’t confirm or deny at this time.”
That is the unofficial word around the block, though. And the Cardinals can always change their mind down the road if any other team offers them a better compensation package before their official announcement.
Ryan Pagnetti confirmed the theory, saying, “My take on it is someone sent an offer; the Cardinals agreed they will do it for the price offered on Sunday/Monday AM *if* no one offers anything better in that time frame.”
The theory becomes much more interesting after the report from Tom Pelissero. He reported earlier Saturday that the Cardinals had received “several calls” on Harrison, and teams that had spoken to the Cards were saying Arizona wanted a second-round pick and possibly more—such as an additional mid-round pick—in return.
The team informed Harrison this morning that he will be inactive for Sunday’s game vs Detroit as details of the trade are finalized.
That price makes sense because the Cardinals invested their Top 5 draft capital in Harrison when they selected fourth overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
However, Harrison has barely moved the needle for the Cardinals so far, recording 108 receptions, 1,578 receiving yards, and 13 receiving touchdowns in his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals through four games of the 2026 season.
Cardinals Asked, and They Probably Received
His best season was his rookie season, which he finished with 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns, all of which still stand as career highs.
Last season, Harrison was limited to 12 games due to injury, and he finished with 41 grabs for 608 yards and four touchdowns.
This season, he has barely made any progress, recording just five receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown through four games.
The Cardinals’ price was pretty hefty, but considering a trade is already in progress, the most likely scenario could be that a team agreed to meet them at their ask.
Harrison is due $4M this year and $5.62M next year and also has a fifth-year option decision coming up this offseason. His $22.5M signing bonus was already paid by the Cardinals.
On Sept. 23, Harrison hired Todd France and Tory Dandy as his agents, according to the NFLPA online database. Harrison did not have an agent before that.
Schefter added that France and Dandy have “both engineered high-powered trades before, with France working behind the scenes on the Brian Burns trade to the Giants, while Dandy was integral in the A.J. Brown trade to the Patriots. The hope had been to work on a trade quietly.”
Jordan Schultz made it clear that “He’s inactive for Sunday’s game and the teams involved would ‘prefer the trade destination is NOT announced’ until both teams play this weekend, according to multiple sources.”
Chiefs, Steelers, and Raiders Set to Miss Out on Marvin Harrison Jr. as Texans Gain Steam