Well, that didn't take long. After just four weeks, the 1-3 Arizona Cardinals are drowning in doubt about whether or not they should just break the team up and start over. A major piece of the ongoing teardown has been trade talks engulfing Marvin Harrison Jr.
The former "can't miss prospect" out of Ohio State was taken fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, with the majority of the football world thinking he'd be a top-10 player at this position the moment he stepped into the league. But like many first-round picks, he has not lived up to expectations now two years and some change into his pro career.
Breaking: the Arizona Cardinals are finalizing a deal to trade WR Marvin Harrison, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 10, 2026
The team informed Harrison this morning that he will be inactive for Sunday’s game vs Detroit as details of the trade are finalized. pic.twitter.com/x6n0Hsfzzj
Son of Hall-of-Famer Marvin Harrison, Junior was poised to take the torch from his father and continue the family legacy of great pro wide receivers. However, through 33 games played, he has averaged just 47.8 yards per game and has put a significantly worse product on the field each year.
But as is Brett Veach's way, he does not shy away from failed first-round picks. And nabbing Harrison at a discounted price might be his best move yet for the 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs.
The wide receiver-needy Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in a perfect situation to trade for the former 4th overall pick
First, let's talk about why the former Buckeye makes sense in this Chiefs offense, and why it might have been the Tyquan Thornton injury that has sped up Kansas City's clock to land a guy who can help this room. At his most basic level, Harrison is an imposing figure at nearly 6'4", 220 lbs, can run routes on all three levels and high point the football, as well as track the ball downfield.
That latter part of that is the most important, and why perhaps he might not be the superstar pass-catcher everyone envisioned he would be. But Harrison can create separation downfield and wall off any would-be defenders who might try to bat the ball away.
That is really useful and would immediately fix the hole left by Thornton, who was truly doing a magnificent job before he went down. Now, if all the Chiefs got out of Harrison was a couple of deep balls here and there, would that be worth what it cost to acquire him, with many expecting it to be a second-or a third-round pick-plus? No, probably not.
But I think it's fair to say that his situation with the Cardinals was average at best. In fact, I would say his rookie year, while not dominant, was more than passable. Harrison gobbled up nearly 900 yards and 8 touchdowns, with a decrepit Kyler Murray at quarterback. He followed that season up with another 14-yard-plus-per-catch season, this time managing just over 600 yards and 4 scores through 12 games.
It was clear he had taken a small step back in production and efficiency, but more than that, his play style looked lackadaisical and nonchalant on the field. Harrison, at times, looked like he did not even want to be on the field. And honestly, playing for a 3-14 Cardinals team that year, with Jacoby Brissett at the helm, certainly did not help. But you still expect every player to give maximum effort when given the opportunities.
Now four games into his third season, Harrison has not only continued to look lifeless on the field, but his production has dipped tenfold to just 5 catches for 85 yards and a single TD. Harrison routinely gives up on routes mid-play, fails to take his blocking assignments seriously in the running game, and has been passed up in the pecking order by fellow receiver Michael Wilson, not to mention star tight end Trey McBride.
It's clearly time for a change of scenery. And the Chiefs could be a perfect spot for Harrison to reignite that football fire within him and begin the comeback to that MHJ that we all revered at Ohio State. The guy who put together two consecutive 1,200-plus-yard and 14-TD seasons before he turned 22.
Veach is not new to trading for former first-round receivers. He famously did it in October of the 2022 season for Kadarius Toney by surrendering a third-and a sixth-round pick in exchange for the slashing playmaker.
Every Chiefs fan will tell you that they expected more from Toney, especially given the issues he had catching the football. But what they will also tell you is that the trade was 100 percent worth it for the singular punt return Toney had in the 2022 Super Bowl that changed the complexion of the game for the Chiefs. Maybe Harrison Jr., in a few months' time, could make an even larger impact.
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