Cardinals Finalizing Trade of Marvin Harrison Jr., Will Sit Him Against Lions

The Arizona Cardinals have told wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. they are finalizing a trade and that he will be inactive Sunday, Oct. 11, when Detroit visits for Week 5. ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the move Saturday.

Schefter wrote that no trade will be completed until after Sunday's games are played. He also wrote that Harrison's time in Arizona is done.

The Cardinals took Harrison fourth overall in 2024. Two-plus seasons later, he is being shelved before the ink dries.

The numbers

Through four games this season, Harrison has five catches on 13 targets for 85 yards and one touchdown. Michael Wilson has passed him as the top wideout, with 25 catches and a team-leading 258 receiving yards.

Harrison's rookie year was his best: 62 catches, 885 yards and eight touchdowns over 16 starts. Last season he played 12 games, hampered by a concussion, and finished with 41 catches for 608 yards and four touchdowns. Wilson broke out in his absence, posting 78 catches for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns.

Harrison signed a four-year, $35,374,742 rookie contract, fully guaranteed, with a $22,547,084 signing bonus.

Where he's going

Nobody has named a destination. Schefter and Rapoport reported that the Houston Texans have held trade talks with Arizona. A Texans source told Schefter, "I can't confirm or deny at this time." Houston would reunite Harrison with quarterback C.J. Stroud, his teammate at Ohio State.

The Indianapolis Colts are out. Mike Chappell, who covers the team, reported they did their due diligence and will not be the landing spot. ESPN's Stephen Holder confirmed Indianapolis is not acquiring him. Harrison's father, Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, starred for the Colts from 1996 to 2008.

Insider Jordan Schultz reported that both teams prefer the destination stay quiet until their Week 5 games are over.

The asking price

The Ringer's Tom Pelissero reported that teams who have spoken to Arizona say it wants a second-round pick and possibly an additional mid-round pick. Schefter later reported that Arizona told inquiring teams it wanted first-round value.

That is a steep ask for a player averaging 21.3 receiving yards a game. It is unclear whether anyone will pay it. NBC Sports noted it is unusual for a trade to leak with no destination attached, and suggested it could be a late push to bring more teams to the table. One NFL source told OutKick the Cardinals may have been open to a leak for the same reason.

Arizona's side

The Cardinals have not treated this as a simple case of a player who stopped trying. Head coach Mike LaFleur pushed back on questions about Harrison's effort earlier this season. "I don't see it that way. I think his running style is different than some other people's," he said.

LaFleur added that other players have more defined roles in an offense with limited weekly plays. He also said defensive coverages have at times dictated that Harrison not get the ball, and that Arizona's own quarterback play has not helped.

General manager Monti Ossenfort had publicly maintained that Harrison remains part of the franchise's plans. Pelissero reported that Ossenfort was not eager to move a player he invested the No. 4 pick in.

The record does not support much of a defense on the draft itself. Tight end Brock Bowers went later in the 2024 class, and Fox's OutKick said Harrison went ahead of multiple starting quarterbacks and more productive players. Whatever the reasons, the production never matched the draft slot.

What comes next

Arizona hosts Detroit on Sunday with Harrison inactive. The trade cannot be finalized until after that game, and Houston has not confirmed its interest.

The return will show how the market values a 24-year-old with a 62-catch rookie season and a stalled start to 2026. A second-round pick is the reported floor, and Schefter reported Arizona has asked for first-round value.