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File photo: Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2022. Marv goes to Houston
The promise
Arizona took Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall in 2024. At Ohio State he had caught passes from C.J. Stroud.
His rookie year looked like a start: 62 catches, 885 yards, eight touchdowns.
Receiving yards by season
Foot injuries and appendicitis limited him to 12 games in 2025. Through four games in 2026 he had five catches for 85 yards and one touchdown on 12 targets. He has never had a 1,000-yard season.
File photo: Nico Collins for Michigan, Nov. 23, 2019. The standoff
Houston needed help. Jayden Higgins tore his ACL, Nico Collins had missed time and Tank Dell was still working back after sitting out all of last season.
On Saturday night, Oct. 10, Arizona kept Harrison away from the team and listed him inactive for its home game against Detroit. The sticking point was timing: Houston offered a 2028 second-rounder, while Arizona held out for 2027.
- Harrison hires new agents Todd France and Tory Dandy
- Held out of Arizona's meetings; Texans emerge as front-runner
- Deal agreed as Houston beats Tennessee 26-3 in Nashville
- Cardinals announce the trade once he passes his physical
- First practice in Houston, catching passes from Stroud
DeMeco Ryans at Houston training camp, Aug. 9, 2010 (archive). The price
Arizona got the 2027 pick it wanted. Under the final terms, Houston sent a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick for Harrison and a 2027 sixth-rounder.
The seventh-rounder was one the Texans acquired from San Francisco in 2024.
“Decisions like this are never easy.”— Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort
A bargain contract
Arizona had already paid his $22.5 million signing bonus. That left Houston with a cheap receiver for the rest of his rookie deal.
The Texans now face a fifth-year option decision this offseason, which would cover 2028.
Wembley Stadium in London. Back with Stroud
“He's probably the hardest worker I've ever been around in my life.”— C.J. Stroud on Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison now wears No. 18 in Houston, catching passes from Stroud’s No. 7. DeMeco Ryans said he stayed late Tuesday night studying the playbook with coaches.
“Excited to have my guy back and get rolling.”— C.J. Stroud
Next up: the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Arizona traded a former No. 4 pick it no longer used. Houston bought a reunion and a cheap contract. London will give the first answer.
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