Former Pro Bowl wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh had harsh words for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. on the Speakeasy podcast with Emmanuel Acho.
He also had harsh words for Harrison's relationship with his head coach Mike LaFleur.
"No. 1: LaFleur ain't (expletive) with Marvin Harrison," Houshmandzadeh said. "When you say, 'Oh, we also have Trey McBride who's one of the best underneath guys, and there's only 60-65 plays a game, and you got to run the ball'; when you value somebody, those words don't even come out your mouth. So that right there tells me he does not value Marvin Harrison as a football player."
Houshmandzadeh is referring to a quote from LaFleur about Harrison's performance this season that was aired on the show.
LaFleur said it at a news conference when he was asked about getting Harrison easier completions.
Mike LaFleur on getting Marvin Harrison Jr. easier completions:
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) September 21, 2026
“Everyone's kind of got their role." pic.twitter.com/MG0pIriqwy
To be clear, LaFleur never said that "he does not value Marvin Harrison as a football player." Nothing is changing Houshmandzadeh's mind, however.
"Marvin Harrison knows that, and this is why we see that the routes are half-speed," Houshmandzadeh said. "His running style ain't no different. He not trying because he feels like, 'I'm not getting the ball anyway.'"
Houshmandzadeh is referring to LaFleur also addressing that the team does not see a lack of effort from Harrison.
Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur says he and his teammates don't see a lack of effort from Marvin Harrison Jr.
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) September 22, 2026
"I think his running style is different than some other people's." pic.twitter.com/IM4rYq1RKi
"I think his running style is different from some other people's," LaFleur said. "I mean if that's people's narrative on him, that's fine. But I know his teammates don't see it that way."
Harrison has only received four targets this season, with one catch for 33 yards and one drop.
"I don't know how often he talks to (Marvin Harrison Sr.) about this; this is where he has to understand this is making him look bad," Houshmandzadeh said. "Because everybody else is watching this."
Harrison Sr., a Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver with the Indianapolis Colts and father of Harrison Jr., ripped the Cardinals' offense last season and blamed it for what he saw as a slow start to his son's NFL career. He even said that it has led to him and Harrison Jr. not talking about football much.
"Your time with the Cardinals is done," Houshmandzadeh said. "They done paid Trey McBride; they done paid Michael Wilson; you are now the third option, if that. You're the fourth option in the offense because it's Trey McBride, it's Mike Wilson, then it's Jeremiyah Love, then you. So you're getting the crumbs.
"My advice to Marvin Harrison Jr. would be this: Go all out. Show everybody that this (expletive) really matters to you, that you can create separation. Even if you don't get the ball, they gonna see you're creating separation. They: The other teams. Your time in Arizona from that (LaFleur) quote, it's over. It's done."
Selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Harrison Jr. posted 885 receiving yards with eight touchdown receptions his rookie year. In 2025, he missed five games and finished with 608 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions.
"He had a solid rookie season," Houshmandzadeh said. "Whatever has happened from that point until now, mentally it's a wrap in Arizona. This dude literally is jogging routes like they're run plays. They're pass plays, and he's making them look like runs. So that tells me he's checked out. So my advice to him would be: Go all out these next however many games you in Arizona, and see if you can get your agent to force an issue to get you up out of there."
Harrison Jr. has never been part of any trade rumors. The Cardinals' other wide receivers have combined for 17 catches and 160 receiving yards this season.
"Because if he stays in Arizona, his career may be over," Houshmandzadeh said. "It's hard, man, to run these routes full speed when you really know I have no chance of getting the ball. And his daddy never did this type of (expletive). But this is when frustration sets in. And he was supposed to come out and get with me this summer, and I would have really talked to him about it, but it never happened."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ex-Pro Bowl WR claims Mike LaFleur does not value Marvin Harrison Jr.
