Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed in comments to reporters that the team had acquired wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals. According to people with knowledge of the arrangement, Houston sent 2027 second- and sixth-round picks to Arizona and received Harrison along with a 2027 seventh-round selection in return.

With the trade still working its way through to completion, Harrison sat out the Texans' Sunday matchup against Detroit. According to people with knowledge of the situation, Harrison was absent when the Cardinals held their team meetings on Saturday evening.

The trade reunited Harrison with quarterback C.J. Stroud, who lined up behind center for Ohio State across the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the team's starting quarterback.

Trade discussions surrounding Harrison had persisted for several weeks, driven by an opening stretch of the season in which his output fell below what had been anticipated. With just a single reception recorded across the opening two games, speculation arose about whether his tenure in Arizona might end before his rookie contract ran its course.

Four games into the current season, Harrison had pulled in five of the 12 balls thrown his way for 85 yards and one touchdown, placing him as the Cardinals' fifth-busiest pass-catching option by target volume. Teammates drawing more targets at the position included tight end Trey McBride, wide receivers Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne, and running back Jeremiyah Love, while Harrison ranked no better than tied for sixth on the roster in catches recorded.

Harrison's lone touchdown of the campaign arrived in a 36-24 defeat at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants the previous Sunday. Seated on the field turf after scoring, Harrison brought his right index finger up toward the mouth opening of his face mask and drew it across in a silencing gesture.

Asked by reporters on Thursday to explain the intent behind the celebration, Harrison said there was no particular point behind it, and he also mentioned that trade talk swirling around him during the week had not caught his eye.

Records maintained by the NFLPA online database show that agents Todd France and Tory Dandy took on representation of Harrison as of Sept. 23. Up to that point, no agent had represented Harrison.

France and Dandy had previously been involved in other notable player transactions. Reports indicate that France played a behind-the-scenes role in arranging the Brian Burns trade to the New York Giants, with Dandy described as having been central to the A.J. Brown side of a deal that sent Brown to the New England Patriots.

Chosen fourth overall in the 2024 draft, Harrison has recorded 1,578 receiving yards and 13 touchdown receptions across 33 appearances in a Cardinals uniform. Foot injuries and appendicitis limited him to 12 appearances the previous season, during which he gathered 41 receptions for 608 yards and four touchdowns — a stretch that also reflects a career still without a 1,000-yard season. During his first NFL season, Harrison totalled 62 receptions for 885 yards and eight touchdowns.

Harrison's contractual earnings stand at $4 million for the current year, with that figure climbing to $5.62 million in 2027. A fifth-year option on his contract is among the roster decisions the team faces when the offseason opens. The $22.5 million signing bonus attached to his contract had been disbursed by the Cardinals before any dispute arose.