Cardinals trade Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Texans for a second-round pick

The Cardinals have traded wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Texans. Houston coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed the deal to reporters after Sunday's win over the Titans, and ESPN and NFL Network laid out the terms: Harrison and a 2027 seventh-round pick go to Houston for 2027 second- and sixth-round picks.

What is confirmed

Ryans said it plainly after the game: "Yes, we traded for Marvin Harrison." ESPN reported the trade as complete. Harrison sat out Arizona's game against Detroit on Sunday while the deal was finished.

This closes out a trade that had been building for weeks. Arizona had wanted a second-round pick this year, and Houston got the deal done by moving its offer up from a 2028 second to a 2027 second.

The fantasy picture in Houston

Harrison rejoins C.J. Stroud, his quarterback for two seasons at Ohio State. He lands in a receiver room with Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte, another receiver Houston has traded for this season.

Collins stays the clear top target. Harrison's path to volume depends on beating out Dell and Boutte for the second role, and that may take a week or two once he learns the offense.

His Arizona start was slow. He had five catches on 12 targets for 85 yards and one touchdown through four games, fifth on the team in targets.

Contract and cap

Harrison is due $4 million this season and $5.62 million in 2027, per ESPN, and Houston faces a fifth-year option decision this offseason. For RSO owners, the real contract value is the cheap rookie deal tied to a quarterback he already knows.

The Arizona side

Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne were already ahead of Harrison in targets. Wilson and Bourne get the clearest bump in snaps without him.

What to do now

Hold Harrison. A change of scenery with Stroud is a better bet than what he had in Arizona, and his contract remains cheap. Do not pay a premium yet, either, since he still has to earn targets behind Collins.

Watch his first Texans practice reports and his snap share in his Houston debut. Those will show how quickly he moves into the starting three.