For the Arizona Cardinals to soar as high as fans in the desert hope they can, the connection between quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. needs to be firing on all cylinders, and ideally, that duo will able able to thrive in 2025. Yes that was a rhyme, no I didn’t plan for it, and regardless of if I did or not, it doesn’t make the sentiment any less true.
Year one of the Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison partnership didn’t yield the results that Cardinals fans expected. Harrison finished the season with a modest stat line — 62 receptions, 885 yards, 8 touchdowns — while a handful of pass-catchers from the 2024 Draft class exploded for much bigger numbers in their debut seasons.
But perhaps Week 1 of the 2025 season will prove to be a good omen for the Cardinals. The first touchdown of the year for Arizona was a Murray to Harrison red zone strike, and for the game, Harrison finished with 5 receptions for 71 yards and one score while Murray put forth an efficient 21-for-29, 163 yards, 2 touchdown performance in a 20-13 win over the New Orleans Saints.
In the days following the win, Harrison spoke about the promising start to the 2025 season and addressed where things stand with their on-field connection.
“I mean, it’s just the start,” Harrison said during a post-practice interview on September 10. “Definitely continue to build, continue to grow. But I like where we’re at. And I think the first game was a good start for sure. I mean, it’s easy to say that I guess when you look at how this last week played out compared to maybe some games last year. But we just have continue to grow, continue to build, and let’s see where we are at the end of the year.”
Kyler Murray Sees a More Confident Marvin Harrison Jr.
Confidence was admittedly an issue for Marvin Harrison during his rookie season, as he acknowledged he was “nervous” and “fidgety” throughout the 2024 campaign. But from Kyler Murray’s perspective, the second-year wideout looked plenty confident during the Week 1.
“He played his ass off. I could feel the confidence. I could feel the progression in his mindset, in his game and just I’m very confident where he’s at,” Murray said, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “You can just tell you’re just watching him move, his mannerisms, all of it. I’ve been around him for two years now, so you may not see it, but I see it. I can feel it. He’s just more confident in himself.”
So Marvin Harrison is confident, Kyler Murray is confident… but where does Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon stand after the Week 1 win?
“I’m certainly happy with the way that they played and the way they connected on a number of opportunities, but I think that’s something we’re going to evaluate every week and every game as we go through the year,” Gannon commented after the win. It was certainly a better showing than Harrison’s Week 1 performance in 2024, when he notched just one reception in his NFL debut.
But even if its Harrison — and Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride — who are getting the lion’s share of the targets in 2025, what Gannon liked most about his team’s performance in Week 1 was that Kyler Murray was able to get a number of supporting weapons involved in the passing attack too.
“The role players need to get involved and do a good job, which they did,” Gannon said. “I know [Murray] completed the ball to a lot of different guys, and they’ll make their hay when it’s time, but with our premier playmakers we need to make sure that’s on point, and I thought it was.”
Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr. Talk Confidence and Chemistry Heading Into Week 2