The Houston Texans have added wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, acquiring the former No. 4 overall pick as they try to recover from a difficult opening month.
Arizona will receive Houston’s 2027 second-round selection and a 2027 sixth-round pick. The Cardinals are also sending Harrison and a 2027 seventh-rounder to the Texans.
Texans confirm Harrison trade after Tennessee win
- Reports Saturday indicated that Arizona was close to moving Harrison, though the destination had not been identified.
- Houston completed the deal Sunday, one day later, and head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed the move after the Texans beat the Tennessee Titans 26-3.
- “You wanted to know? Yes, we acquired Marvin Harrison,” Ryans said following the victory.
- The win moved Houston to 1-4 after an 0-4 start that had rapidly damaged expectations for a team viewed before the season as a Super Bowl contender.
Fresh start with Stroud
Harrison will move from the NFC West to the AFC South and reunite with C.J. Stroud, his quarterback at Ohio State. He joins a Houston receiving group headed by Nico Collins, with Tank Dell also potentially returning to the mix after he resumed practice this past week.
The 2024 first-round pick arrived in the NFL carrying major expectations. Harrison, the son of Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, had a celebrated Ohio State career before Arizona selected him fourth overall.
His first two NFL seasons brought production but also uneven performances and injury issues. Across 29 games entering 2026, Harrison recorded 103 receptions for 1,493 yards and 12 touchdowns.
His start to the current season was far quieter. In four games, Harrison had caught five of 13 targets for 85 yards and one touchdown, fueling trade speculation in recent weeks.
Arizona moves on after 33 games
Harrison leaves the Cardinals after 33 career games, with Arizona choosing future draft capital rather than continuing to wait for the third-year wideout to match his lofty draft status.
The Indianapolis Colts had also been mentioned as a possible landing spot. Such a move would have paired Harrison with the franchise for which his father played from 1996 through 2008, while also giving Indianapolis help with Alec Pierce sidelined by injury.
Instead, Harrison will face the Colts as a division opponent and attempt to give Stroud and the Texans’ offense an immediate boost as Houston looks to climb out of its early-season hole.
