Marvin Harrison Jr.'s struggles this season have the Arizona Cardinals thinking about trading the Ohio State product. Could moving the wide receiver lead Arizona to draft another Buckeye?
Harrison Jr. caught his first touchdown of 2026 in a 36-24 loss to the New York Giants on Oct. 4. The 12-yard catch was his only reception on four targets. He has just five receptions and 85 yards on 13 targets through four games.
He is tied for fourth on the Cardinals in targets with running back Jeremiyah Love. Tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Michael Wilson have dominated that category with 46 and 44, respectively.
The fourth overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Harrison Jr. was solid as a rookie with 885 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games.
In just his second NFL game, he recorded 130 yards and two touchdowns on four catches, but that remains the only multi-touchdown game of his career.
Harrison Jr.'s production dipped in his second year with the Cardinals after he missed games due to appendicitis, a concussion, a heel injury and a foot injury.
Currently, he's in the third year of a four-year, $35 million contract with a fifth-year club option for 2028.
Could the Arizona Cardinals move off wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.?
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter on an Oct. 4 episode of "Sunday NFL Countdown," Harrison Jr. is a potential trade target ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
"The Cardinals are not all that enthralled with trading him, but other teams are doing their due diligence into Harrison. It would not be a surprise if he were traded by Nov. 10," Schefter said.
Schefter was then asked by ESPN personality Pat McAfee on "The Pat McAfee Show" Oct. 5 whether the Indianapolis Colts were calling the Cardinals about Harrison Jr., to which Schefter replied, "Wouldn't that make a lot of sense?"
The Colts, of course, drafted Harrison Jr.'s dad, Marvin Harrison Sr. The elder Harrison had under 1,000 receiving yards in the first three seasons of his career before breaking out in his fourth year by leading the NFL in receiving yards with 1,663.
With Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning as his quarterback, Harrison Sr. became a Canton-bound player himself. He was a three-time First Team All-Pro recipient, an eight-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion in the 2006-07 season. He ended up playing his entire 13-year career on the Colts.
A change of scenery to a place familiar to the Harrison family could be a catalyst for Harrison Jr.'s wide receiver career to break out.
Arizona Cardinals could end up drafting Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith
If the Cardinals were to move on from Harrison Jr., they would still need to workshop ways to improve their offense. The Cardinals are off to a slow start in the 2026 season at 1-3. They are tied for the sixth-worst record in the league with three other teams. If the standings held, the Cardinals would end up with the ninth overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft due to strength of schedule.
After finishing second to last in team rushing yards last season, the Cardinals drafted running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 4 overall pick. In the same draft, the Cardinals also selected Miami quarterback Carson Beck in the third round at No. 65 overall. Beck is currently sitting behind veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who is set to become a free agent after this season.
With the running back position addressed and a quarterback recently drafted, the Cardinals could potentially take another shot at wide receiver if Jeremiah Smith is available.
A recent mock draft from CBS Sports projects the Miami Dolphins (currently 0-4) to take Smith with the No. 1 overall selection, suggesting the Dolphins feel their current starting quarterback, Malik Willis, is better than anyone in the next class of quarterbacks.
Smith currently leads the FBS in receiving yards, touchdowns and receptions and is the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy.
That same mock draft has the Cardinals taking Miami quarterback Darian Mensah with the No. 3 overall pick, citing Mensah’s efficiency through the first five weeks and Mensah's 84.2% completion percentage.
Even if the Cardinals were to move on from Harrison Jr. and end up with the top pick in next year’s draft, they could still select a quarterback. After all, Mensah, Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss and Oregon's Dante Moore might all be available.
Any of those signal callers could catch the Cardinals’ eyes, but it’s not out of the question that they take another shot at an OSU wide receiver.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Could a Marvin Harrison Jr. trade land Cardinals another Buckeye?
