Where is Marvin Harrison Jr. being traded? How a Bizarre Business Story Unfolded

Early Saturday morning, sometime before 7 a.m. local time, the Arizona Cardinals decided they had enough of a trade offer on the table for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and felt comfortable dumping the No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft.

News of an expected Harrison Jr. trade was then shared with wide receiver. He then circulated around the building before news of the impending exchange broke in the media.

Twenty-four hours later, Harrison Jr.’s destination (or likely destination) remains a mystery to everyone except the likes of general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Mike LaFleur. All that has been shared internally, including among players, is that the Cardinals are trading Harrison, that his time in Arizona is over and that he will be inactive for the Cardinals’ game against the Lions on Sunday.

Some internally, including teammates, think the Texans are clearly a great possibility (and CBS Sports can confirm that Houston has been among the teams in contact with Harrison, who was college teammates at Ohio State with Texans quarterback CJ Stroud), but sources don’t believe a trade had yet been officially finalized as of Sunday morning.

Even with Houston, league sources outside of Arizona wonder if anything could change if the Texans fall to 0-5 on Sunday against the Titans, if other teams are quietly involved and also if another team might ultimately step in depending on the outcome of the Week 5 games.

What is clear is that the Cardinals, although Harrison only had five catches in four games, were hoping for as much as a first-round pick if they traded Harrison and it seemed like the inclusion of a first-round pick would ultimately entice Arizona to move on from him. While it’s fair to question whether another team would actually be willing to give up this level of compensation, several sources have indicated that they feel – without knowing the exact amount of compensation – that The Cardinals appear poised to receive a solid return for Harrison, who is 24 years old and just two years removed from posting 885 yards and eight touchdowns as a 2024 rookie.

For now, multiple NFL sources believe Arizona clearly has an offer from at least one team (maybe Houston, maybe someone else) that is good enough and locked in to the point that they were comfortable informing Harrison Saturday morning that he would be traded in the coming days.

Now all that remains is to find out who this new team will be for Harrison.