Marvin Harrison Jr. Trade Mystery Makes Very Little Sense

ESPN decided to send the football universe into a frenzy on Saturday morning when various insiders reported that Marvin Harrison Jr. was being traded from the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals and Houston Texans have been in trade discussions, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, but Arizona is still listening to offers in hopes for a first-round draft choice.

Here’s my question.

Why the big secret?

Harrison has wildly underwhelmed during his time in Arizona after the Cardinals used the fourth overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft to select a “generational” talent at wide receiver out of Ohio State.

In 17 games as a rookie, Harrison caught 62 of his 116 targets for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. Last season, he caught 41 of his 73 targets for 608 yards and four touchdowns, appearing in just 12 games. In four games this year, Harrison is showing no signs of taking a leap, catching just five of 13 targets for 85 yards and one touchdown.

Due to the lack of production, and the fact that the Cardinals are still spinning their wheels in rebuild mode without a real solution at quarterback, it’s not difficult to understand why Harrison is being traded. There have been rumors about the Cardinals being willing to turn the page since before the NFL Draft.

Before the season, they extended wide receiver Michael Wilson on a three-year deal worth $75 million, which wouldn’t have prevented them from extending Harrison upon a breakout third season, but throwing big money at another young wideout certainly raised some eyebrows.

The point is, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time. Harrison Jr. already has more drops than his Hall of Fame father had in his 13 years in the NFL.

So, what’s the big secret?

This kid has wildly underperformed considering his expectations. And this wasn’t about his dad being a Hall of Fame wide receiver. Harrison Jr. is a legend at Ohio State where he was a Blinkentoff Award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist.

The fact that his next team is being held out like some sort of secret just feels outright wrong. Now, he almost certainly knows what is going on. All reports indicate that the Texans are the frontrunners while the Cardinals are trying to drive up the price while hoping a better offer comes through.

But isn’t that a bit awkward? He’s going to miss a week with his new team?

It’s just strange that no nationally-employed insider will come out and say with their chest what’s going on. There was no secret that the Cardinals were open to moving him, so now that it’s happening, why is this being treated differently than any other trade that’s ever happened before?