Heading into Sunday’s Week 5 games, news surfaced that the Arizona Cardinals had informed wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. that he would not be playing against the Detroit Lions and would be traded.
Although the team told Harrison he would be traded, the team he would be traded to was not disclosed, which led to a lot of speculation about where he’d ultimately land, with the Houston Texans rumored to be the favorite to acquire the former first-round draft pick.
Texans Acquire Marvin Harrison Jr. in Blockbuster Trade
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Texans turned out to be the winner of the Harrison sweepstakes, as he has officially been traded to Houston along with a seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a second-rounder and a sixth-rounder.
The #AZCardinals are trading Marvin Harrison Jr to the #Texans in a blockbuster, per me and @AdamSchefter.
It’s Harrison and a 7th rounder to Houston for a 2nd rounder this year and a 6th rounder.
Before officially landing Harrison in this blockbuster trade, the Texans were able to get their first win over the 2026 NFL season, with CJ Stroud and company getting the best of the Tennessee Titans, crushing Cam Ward‘s squad, 28-3.
As for Harrison, the Ohio State product gets a fresh start reuniting with his old Buckeyes quarterback, Stroud, in Houston.
It has been a rough season for Harrison and the Texans, with the former No. 4 overall pick catching only five passes for 85 receiving yards and a touchdown during the 2026 campaign.
Houston hasn’t had much better luck after coming into the season as a team many picked to be among the cream of the crop in the AFC. The Texans lost four straight games before beating the Titans, making them one of the most disappointing teams in the league so far this season.
Marvin Harrison Jr. Gives CJ Stroud Another Solid WR Option
Before the Texans acquired Harrison on Sunday, the team already had a talented receiving corps, led by star wide receiver Nico Collins.
Stroud had his fair share of options downfield with Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Kayshon Boutte and tight end Dalton Schultz. Even though the star quarterback already had some solid targets, Houston clearly felt like Harrison was the missing piece to the puzzle for this passing game.
Obviously, with Harrison and Stroud becoming household names at Ohio State, these two already have chemistry, which could spark up quickly now that they’ll be sharing the field in Houston for the foreseeable future.
Harrison definitely needed a change of scenery, as it simply wasn’t working in Arizona, so this might be exactly what he needs to unlock his talent on the NFL level and continue to follow in the footsteps of his father, who is a Hall of Famer.
Despite the ugly record coming into Week 5, Stroud has played well this season, throwing for 1,141 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Against the Titans, Stroud kept it going with 261 yards through the air and two total touchdowns, one on the ground and one to Jaylin Noel.
It’ll be interesting to see if Stroud takes his game to another level entirely with the addition of his college teammate and what that might do for the Texans for the rest of the season.
Texans Acquire Marvin Harrison Jr. in Blockbuster Trade With Cardinals