The Houston Texans pulled off one of the biggest moves of the 2026 season so far, as they went out and traded with the Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

The 2024 No. 4 overall draft pick is linking back up with C.J. Stroud and should be a huge help to this offense for the rest of 2026 and over the next few seasons. However, the deal to acquire Harrison came at a steep cost, including a second-round pick.

Unfortunately, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed that the NFL's trade value for Harrison was much lower than the second-round pick the Texans gave up. Based on this value, a fourth-round pick, the Texans massively overpaid for Harrison this season.

Texans overpaid in trade for Marvin Harrison Jr. per NFL value

"And multiple teams consulted believe that Harrison, despite his billing as the 2025 No. 4 overall pick, was probably worth a fourth-round pick when considering his declining play and his lack of competition on routes at times this season," Fowler writes.

This trade for the Texans cost them a second-round pick. The NFL, at least a segment of teams, believes that his value was closer to that of a fourth-round pick.

Giving up a Round 4 pick for Harrison would've been a fantastic trade. Instead, Nick Caserio spent a Round 2 selection in the upcoming NFL Draft to land Harrison.

Adding a player like Harrison makes sense for the Texans, but the price it cost them to land the third-year receiver might've been too much to give up.

MORE: Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Marvin Harrison Sr. stats: How Hall of Fame dad's slow start compares to son in Year 2

The 1-4 Texans are desperate, and the Harrison trade might show that. If Houston can utilize Harrison this year to make a playoff surge from their 1-4 record, it will have been worth it.

But it's an uphill battle to climb out of this poor record. Unfortunately, it would not be a surprise if the Texans came up short in the AFC South and the AFC Wild Card.

In such a scenario, the second-round pick they would've given up would potentially wind up being a top-50 selection. Spending that much on a WR who's not nearly the top prospect he appeared to be two years ago would be a bad trade.

Based on the NFL's evaluation of Harrison's value, the Cardinals made out great with their trade with the Texans. Houston overpaid to land Harrison, and it'll take a major turnaround for the third-year WR to make this trade worthwhile.

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