With the Arizona Cardinals hiring an offensive-minded new head coach in Mike LaFleur, one would believe that this stagnant offense is about to be transformed.
LaFleur has quite a bit to work with. TE Trey McBride is one of the best in the league. The receiver room of Marvin Harrison, Michael Wilson, and Xavier Weaver is a good group.
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The offensive line is suspect, though. Hopefully, GM Monti Ossenfort will work the phones and bring in at least
one guard and one tackle as new starters. Then use the draft for backups or instant starters. And the running back situation remains up in the air with two starters spending quite a bit of time on IR last season.
However, whispers began circulating at the Combine about a possible trade between the Cardinals and the Cleveland Browns. At the Combine and the Senior Bowl, both of these events are attended by almost everybody in the NFL, from head coaches to GMs to player personnel people to scouts to assistant coaches, and even a few owners.
These folks see each other each March at the Combine and every January for the Senior Bowl. Quite a few have worked together in past positions on this team or another. So, they know one another.
And because they are familiar with each other, GMs will nestle up with other decision makers to discuss trades. They trust one another and value their thoughts, and it is always discreet. The Combine is a situation where the discussions don’t occur on Zoom calls or via text. All parties are right there, so the hotel bar is quite a popular space for a team GM to discuss their personnel needs with another club’s GM. In person.
There is a report that Arizona has most likely worked out a trade for Harrison. Per Jeff Simon of Jeff Simon Sports, he is stating that a deal is being finalized with Cleveland in exchange for the Browns’ second first-round draft pick at #24, along with a third-round pick at #70.
By owning both the #3 pick and the #24 selection, this would allow Arizona to take one of the stud pass rushers early and then pursue an offensive lineman such as OT’s Caleb Lomu of Utah, Kadyn Proctor from Alabama, or Georgia OT Monroe Freeling later in the first round. Or if Ossenfort wants to replace the receiver with another receiver, KC Concepcion from Texas A&M, or perhaps Indiana WR Omar Cooper, Jr., should be available.
Then, with two high draft picks in Round 3, tackling machine Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriquez, RB Emmett Johnson from Nebraska, LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier, or WR Ted Hurst from Georgia State would all fit the bill, and the Cardinals could pick two from the list.
Harrison has not exactly impressed since being taken fourth overall by the Cardinals in 2024. He seemed like a lock, being the son of a Pro Football Hall of Famer, and all of the accolades he received in college, including being named the Big-10 MVP. Plus, Ohio State has had a history of cultivating big-time receivers before sending them into the NFL. And he was durable.
Not so at the pro level. In just two seasons, he has had two concussions and missed two games due to surgery to address appendicitis. He also suffered a right heel injury in Week 13 this past season, and later he had a Grade-1 pedal foot sprain in Week 17.
His production in his rookie campaign was a respectable 885 yards with eight touchdowns. But this year, that was reduced to 608 yards and just four scores. Not exactly fourth overall numbers. Maybe the presence of LaFleur will change all of this for Harrison. Then again, perhaps the brain trust is already working the room to find a trade partner and start over with someone a lot cheaper.
So, does Simon’s report have legs?
Every year, there are a few trades that occur during Combine week. The most recent was the New York Jets sending DE Jermaine Johnson to the Tennessee Titans for DT T’Vondre Sweat. But there are numerous conversations regarding trading players that aren’t finalized, but come close to an agreement because of GMs huddling together in person at this event.
On the Browns SB Nation site, Dawgs by Nature (DBN), Producer Jared Mueller stated that while in attendance at the Combine, he noted that Browns GM Andrew Berry “has at least touched base on acquiring (Harrison) to help Cleveland’s issues at the (receiver) position.” Mueller is well-known as a trusted source.
Mueller also stated:
“I may have called WR Marvin Harrison “the Trent Richardson of receivers” to a few film and scout guys I trust… and didn’t get much push back…”
Another DBN writer, Curtiss Brown, chimed in on what he has been hearing coming from the Combine:
- GM Andrew Berry has been calling about Harrison, Jr. as early as Monday this week.
- Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort wasn’t open to trading Harrison, but the conversation has changed.
- Draft compensation could be a 3rd or 4th, or a potential pick swap
- Nothing is imminent but it’s a possibility that a trade could materialize in the coming days and a trade is announced in a couple weeks.
So, three sources are barking their opinions and research into Harrison being shipped off to Cleveland.
The Browns have also hired an offensive-minded guy to man their ship in Todd Monken. He has a reputation for taking bad offenses and making them elite. He took the Georgia Bulldogs from #43 to #5 in just a few short seasons as an example, not to mention winning two National Championships. Georgia hasn’t been back to the title game since Monken left.
Can LaFleur resuscitate Harrison’s career? Could Monken? Would Arizona prefer to keep Harrison, or does the idea of getting another first-round draft pick plus a high third-round selection appeal to them more? Many Cardinals fans are already pointing to Wilson as the team’s number one receiver. So, they wouldn’t be shipping off Jerry Rice, but instead sending John Taylor to another team.
Harrison’s numbers in two seasons are 29 games played with 26 starts, 189 targets, 103 receptions for 1,493 yards, 12 touchdowns, 73 first down conversions, and nine drops.
That doesn’t scream “impressive.” Right now, he is living off his college accolades and his “potential” to become a league sensation. Is it possible that most people overestimated his talent and assumed that because he played for Ohio State, he was instantly a future star?
Despite being quick, Harrison just isn’t fast enough to be considered an elite receiver, but he is light-years better than what the Browns have currently on their roster. They envision pairing Harrison with Jerry Jeudy. Maybe there is a disconnect between Harrison and QB Kyler Murray, and that’s the problem.
Then again, what if Simon’s claim is not realistic? Or even true?
He claims the Browns and Cardinals are working on finalizing a deal. Simon did not state that the two clubs were in discussions regarding a trade or were in negotiations. Simon states, “are working on finalizing a deal.”
Simon Sports has a grand total of 1,289 followers. Your grandma has more followers. Anybody who can gather “inside information” at the NFL level has to have the trust and respect of so many who are decision makers.
Exactly how did Simon come up with this information? He cites, “per source.” Well, my sources tell me that Hershey’s no longer uses pure cocoa and has substituted peanut crème for peanut butter in Reese’s Cups. Does that make it true? Does that statement cause folks to want to call the company to inquire if the facts are accurate?
And another thing, the compensation that Simon reported. Does a first and a third-round draft pick for Harrison sound right? Do the Browns really believe that’s his worth?
Harrison has the potential, so don’t misunderstand the inquiry. At this stage, he can become a premier WR1, which makes him highly sought after. Plus, he is still on his rookie deal, which is a manageable four-year, $35 million contract, which will give another team significant cap flexibility.
But if all of this is true for Cleveland, isn’t it also true for Arizona? If he has elite receiver upside, why would they entertain trade talks regarding him? Doesn’t it make more sense that the Cardinals would see this for themselves and decide that now that they have an offensive guru in the house, they should make plays that benefit Harrison’s talents and then watch him dominate?
Isn’t the Arizona coaching staff all looking at each other and saying that they can’t believe that they have McBride, Wilson, and Harrison all on the same roster?
What makes more sense is for the Arizona coaching staff to be looking at this pass-catching group and wanting to add a guy like WR Malachi Fields (6’-4”, 222 pounds) of Notre Dame in the third round in April’s NFL draft. Add a dynamic pass-catching running back, improve the offensive line, and then what defense is going to be able to cover those guys?
So, if the Browns are licking their lips at the notion of bringing in Harrison, doesn’t it make sense that the Cardinals see what they have already in-house and are good?
The Atlanta Falcons traded away QB Brett Favre. The New York Football Giants shipped off LB Sam Huff. The Los Angeles Rams traded RB Jerome Bettis to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Indianapolis Colts sent RB Marshall Faulk to the Rams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded off QB Steve Young to the San Francisco 49ers.
Dumb moves happen all the time. By dumb decision-makers who eventually become unemployed decision-makers who are now deciding which grass pesticide is best and inquiring when it goes on sale.
Mueller and Brown’s reports are centered around the Browns approaching the Cardinals about the availability of Harrison in a possible trade. Nothing more.
Simon Sports is insinuating that the two teams have come to some sort of agreement and that the deal is most likely a living, breathing thing. And in the end, anything is possible. Good players get shipped off all the time.
Just not seeing it.
Simon Sports has never broken a single story about anything in the NFL. You don’t just get credentials to an event, arrive, and suddenly you are privy to inside information. Does anyone believe that Mike LaFleur and his brother Matt make decisions together? For one, they will, and do, compete for the same talent. They want their own team better, not the siblings. Both brothers want their team to get into the Super Bowl every year and play their brother’s team. And then crush them.
A reporter takes years and decades to cultivate “sources” through relationships and trust.
Verdict: Calling BS on Simon Sports. The fact that the Browns and Cardinals have discussed Harrison is most likely true. Berry is well-known for trades, and has traded for three receivers in his tenure with Cleveland. So, none of that is surprising to anyone.
But answer this: If the report is factual that Arizona and Cleveland “are working on finalizing a deal” that would send Harrison to the Browns for draft picks, why has nobody in the industry picked up the report and posted it?
Anyone?
