The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to trade wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans, with a reported return of a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Arizona also sends a 2027 seventh-round pick to Houston. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the terms on Sunday, Oct. 11.

Both head coaches have since spoken about the trade in public. The league's own transaction log had not listed it as of Oct. 12.

What the two clubs have said

Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur told Jacoby Brissett and the rest of the team on Saturday, and Harrison told his teammates himself, according to the Cardinals' report. The first reports that day described a trade being finalized with a team that had not been identified; Houston's name followed on Sunday. Harrison was inactive for Arizona's game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, which the Cardinals lost 45-21. LaFleur confirmed the trade afterwards without going into detail, said he did not think the move was a distraction, and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans acknowledged it after his own game.

NFL.com carried Ryans' answer after the Texans beat the Tennessee Titans 26-3. "You guys want to know, huh? Yes, we traded for Marvin Harrison," he said.

The Cardinals' own report says the trade "has yet to be announced officially" and describes the compensation as a reported exchange. The NFL's October trade log listed two trades on Oct. 12, neither of them this one, and the Texans' news index carried no Harrison announcement at that point.

Two generic microphones send separate sound waves toward one blank record card.
Concept illustration of both head coaches speaking publicly about the reported deal; it does not depict either coach or a specific press conference.

The reported price

Harrison goes to Houston with a 2027 seventh-round pick for Houston's 2027 second-round and sixth-round picks. He was the No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, so Arizona has converted a top-five selection into two picks in a future draft.

Both picks arrive in 2027, which means neither changes the Cardinals' roster this season.

The rest of the October trade market is thin. The league's transaction log for the month lists two completed trades before this one: Cam Jurgens from Philadelphia to Baltimore on Oct. 7 and Joey Porter Jr. from Pittsburgh to Dallas on Oct. 1.

What Houston is getting

Houston began the season 0-4 and is 1-4 after Sunday's 26-3 win over Tennessee. NFL.com described that start as souring what was thought to be a potential Super Bowl year for the team. The Texans responded by adding a receiver.

Harrison reunites with C.J. Stroud, his former college quarterback at Ohio State, and joins a receiver room led by Nico Collins, with Tank Dell back at practice in the past week.

Houston was not the only AFC South team linked to him. NFL.com reported that the Colts had been rumored as a destination, which would have put Harrison with his father's former team; Marvin Harrison Sr. played in Indianapolis from 1996 to 2008.

His production supports two different readings of the deal. In four games this season he has five receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. His first two seasons produced 103 catches for 1,493 yards and 12 touchdowns over 29 games, with inconsistency and injuries along the way.

The criticism was not new. NFL.com reported earlier in the season that Harrison had one catch through the first two games and that Brissett had defended him to reporters.

What Arizona said about moving him

LaFleur's explanation combined roster logic with self-criticism. "I just thought it was in the best interest of this club," he said. "I really like Marvin Harrison. He's a good person. I wish him well. We did what we thought was in the best interest of the Cardinals. Any guy that does not play to the level I feel they are capable of, I'm always going to put that on me and coaching in general."

He also said the trade "was not the reason we didn't play well today," referring to the loss to Detroit, and noted that the Lions double-teamed Trey McBride and Michael Wilson with Harrison out of the picture.

Brissett spoke about the person rather than the depth chart. "It's a person we all have a relationship with outside of football," he said. "As much as everyone wants to say, 'It's a business, it's a business,' that doesn't make it easy. It's someone I'll know I'll miss ... and I'm sure a lot of us are rooting for Marv."

Arizona has not said who takes Harrison's snaps, and LaFleur did not describe a replacement plan.

What is still unconfirmed

The league had not logged the transaction as of Oct. 12, so the official announcement is still pending. Houston has not said when Harrison will practice or play, or what role he will have in an offense that already features Collins. The cited reporting does not say whether the 2027 picks carry conditions.