The Marvin Harrison Jr. era has come to an end with the Arizona Cardinals. In less than three seasons, it’s safe to say that it was a major disappointment after the Cardinals used the No. 4 overall pick on him in 2024.
In the end, the Cardinals shipped Harrison to the Houston Texans, along with a 2027 seventh-round pick. Coming back is a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Harrison wraps up his tenure with the Cardinals, having played in 33 games. During that time, he had 108 receptions for 1,578 yards and 13 touchdowns. That’s 14.6 yards per reception. However, injuries would derail Harrison in 2025 before he struggled to find any success under a new coaching staff in 2026. This year, in four games, he has 5 receptions for 85 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Arizona Cardinals Got a Bad Grade on Their Trade
Shortly following the Harrison trade, The Athletic shared some grades on the trade. For Houston, “B” in the hopes that they were buying low. On the other side of the trade, however, the Cardinals got a “D” grade.
Jeff Howe was handing out the grades. When discussing Arizona, he also made a point of ripping the Cardinals. In particular, he opened by wondering if GM Monti Ossenfort is going to be fired sooner than later.
“This is a quick hook for Ossenfort, whose Cardinals were 16-39 [now 16-40] in his three-plus seasons at the time of the trade,” Howe wrote. “And given the turbulence in Arizona over the past decade, it’s fair to wonder whether owner Michael Bidwill will employ Ossenfort long enough to use the picks acquired for Harrison.”
There is no doubt that the Cardinals have officially wasted a draft pick that could have become a franchise-altering selection. Behind Harrison, names like Malik Nabers, Bo Nix, and Brock Bowers were all selected. So, instead of hoping Harrison turned it around with them, they tried to recover some of his original value.
“As it stands, the Harrison selection will go down as a pivotal miss for the organization considering the talent in that class, and it obviously won’t reflect well on the Cardinals if Harrison thrives in Houston,” Howe wrote.
“The Cardinals essentially determined Harrison wasn’t likely to turn it around with them, and they moved on while he still had decent value. But this isn’t what the team had in mind 30 months ago when it drafted Harrison to be the focal point of Arizona’s passing offense.”
Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur Addressed the Marvin Harrison Jr. Trade
On the Sunday that the Harrison trade was reported, the Cardinals had him inactive for a home game against the Detroit Lions. Despite the game being played in Arizona, it looked like more Detroit jerseys were in the stands. Worse, the Lions blew out the Cardinals to the tune of a 45-21 blowout. It wasn’t that close.
After the game, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur was clearly frustrated. Still, he briefly addressed the Harrison situation, saying, “We thought it was in the best interest of the club.”
Harrison’s future had become the focus for the Cardinals this past week. Despite that, LaFleur dismissed the idea that it was a distraction.
“I don’t think it was a distraction,” LaFleur said.
LaFleur and the Cardinals will need to move on from the Harrison situation, as well as their latest loss, quickly. At 1-4 and in arguably the toughest division in the NFL, they already have their backs against the wall.
Cardinals Get Ripped for Marvin Harrison Jr. Trade, Earn Poor Grade