Marvin Harrison Jr. trade: 4 wild ideas if the Cardinals shop their WR

| Getty Images Marvin Harrison Jr. has become one of the hottest topics for conversation in the NFL. Once labeled as a “can’t-bust” prospect, the former No. 4 overall pick now finds himself barely used in the Arizona Cardinals offense due to his lack of work ethic and unreliability. It’s led to a lot of questions whether or not this is an issue with Harrison himself, or if this is indicative of organizational failure by the Cardinals. Naturally that’s led to trade speculation, and while the Cardinals aren’t officially shopping Marvin Harrison Jr. yet, there is growing belief among other NFL executives that the team might be willing to make a deal if the price is right. That price is incredibly difficult to nail down. There’s been no shortage of bust receivers who have been traded off in the past, but Harrison carries a different level of expectation. Rather than teams throwing away a late pick to take a flier, there are going to be organizations who still see the player that everyone fell in love with at the 2023 combine, believing that they can be the ones to restore his confidence and return him to dominance. There’s a dichotomy at play: Arizona shouldn’t simply trade MHJ away for nothing, but they also have no plan to increase his value. There is a chance that trying to salvage something now might be their best move, rather than waiting as he gets deeper in his rookie contract, and his trade value falls further. So let’s get weird with this. What are the landing spots in the NFL that both make sense in a trade, and ones where the Cardinals could recoup some sort of return. The Arizona Cardinals trade Marvin Harrison Jr. … to the Indianapolis Colts for Anthony Richardson and a 6th round pick There’s the obvious here, which is that the Colts would love the optics of bringing Marvin Harrison Jr. to Indianapolis. The team is also in need of more receiving help, considering that Alec Pierce is battling through injury right now, and Keenan Allen appears to have hit that mid-30s wall where he’s not really effective. We also have a situation in Arizona where the quarterback situation with Jacoby Brissett is temporary, but the Cards might be good enough to win their way out of a Top 3 pick next year. So why not trade bust-for-bust, and bring Anthony Richardson to the desert? Mike LaFleur comes from a QB coach background, and Richardson just never fit anything that Shane Steichen likes to do on offense. If you’re a guy who believes there’s still potential with Richardson then you might not be able to find a better deal than a 24-year-old upside passer. Throw in a late-round pick to offset the fact he’s in the last year of his rookie deal, and there’s a path here were the Cardinals could see if Richardson has a place in practice, then throw a three-year, below-market offer his way if it looks like this could pan out. … to the New York Giants for Kayvon Thibodeaux The Giants’ receiver room is a bit of a mess right now, and it doesn’t help that Malik Nabers is battling through being hurt as well. This represents a potential deal that swaps two guys who are out of place in their respective rotations, and finds them both a home. The trickiest part of this is working out where Kayvon Thibodeaux fits into the Cardinals’ 4-3 defense, but Nick Rallis is a creative enough defensive coordinator to work out some pass rush packages that fit for him. … to the Minnesota Vikings for J.J. McCarthy Let’s throw another wild failed QB in here that LaFleur can work on as a reclamation project. What makes this intriguing is that McCarthy was a guy who had some dark-horse interest from the Rams in the 2024 Draft, if he fell to No. 19 — and the offensive coordinator at the time was Mike LaFleur. There could be some interest there. On the other side it’s about the future. The Vikings don’t need a receiver right now, but that’s the emphasis here. Jordan Addison has been an off-field headache, and is either due a massive option, or could garner big money on the open market. This would be a chance to throw MHJ into the rotation, have Justin Jefferson mentor him, and potentially come out the other side in great shape. The fact that Harrison and Kyler Murray have familarity helps here too. … to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 4th round pick The Raiders are in dire need of receiving help moving forward and the bar to get reps is pretty dang low. Kirk Cousins is a great partner this season to build some of that confidence, and then you can have Harrison take passes from Fernando Mendoza to prep him for the future. The biggest risk here might be having Marvin Harrison Sr. spending a lot of time in Las Vegas seeing his son play. Got any other wild trade ideas? Drop them in the comments

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