It’s official. The Arizona Cardinals have finalized a trade with the Houston Texans before their Week 5 game, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed Sunday.
The Cardinals listened to higher bidders for a day, but nobody matched Houston’s price tag. The Texans held firm and officially landed Harrison.
Cardinals Trade Marvin Harrison Jr. to Texans
According to Rapoport, the Cardinals sent Harrison Jr. and a 2027 7th-round pick for a 2027 2nd-round pick plus a 6th-round pick.
After all, the Cardinals got the approximate value they were looking for in the trade.
According to ESPN, “Entering the weekend, Arizona told teams that it was looking for first-round value for Harrison, yet other teams have viewed him as worthy of some form of second-day pick compensation, sources said.”
Both the Cardinals and the Texans seemed to find a middle ground.
The trade was imminent, especially after Harrison Jr. hired Todd France and Tory Dandy as his agents, his first-ever agents since entering the NFL.
Plus, the Cardinals had him ruled out for their Week 5 game already, clearly stating that the trade is at a point of no return.
Harrison Joins CJ Stroud in Houston
Harrison Jr. now joins his ex-college QB CJ Stroud in Houston.
The Cardinals had Harrison in a 4-year rookie contract, with $35.37 million fully guaranteed, of which $22.55 million has already been paid upfront by Arizona.
Harrison is due $4 million this year and $5.62 million next year. Meaning, Houston has to pay only a fraction of the amount, reportedly about $1.05 million, pro-rated for remaining games.
He also has a fifth-year option decision coming up this offseason. That explains why the Texans made this big of a trade as soon as possible; they wanted Harrison to play as many games as he can for them.
Since they already won their first game of the season vs. the Titans, DeMeco Ryans would want Harrison to build on that win and turn it into a winning streak.
Cardinals Finalize Interesting Marvin Harrison Jr. Trade With Texans: Report