The Arizona Cardinals are treating the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade like a closed chapter.
General manager Monti Ossenfort finally addressed the deal Friday on Arizona Sports’ 98.7 FM, and he made it clear the team is ready to keep it moving. Outside of a brief line in the team’s press release, Ossenfort had not spoken publicly about the move before then.
“Those decisions are always hard. I think the world of Marv, and he's going to have a bright future in this league,” said Ossenfort.
“For us it was just an opportunity to that presented itself. A team stepped up with a trade opportunity that we thought was a significant pick.
“You're trying to do right by the player. Us communicating that timeline to Marvin Saturday morning, it's never a smooth process.
It's always difficult timing but always want to be transparent when we can ... We're not looking back.”
Arizona sent Harrison to the Texans in a deal that brought back a second-round pick, a solid return for a player who finished with five receptions on the season.
There had been chatter that Harrison was unhappy in the desert, and Ossenfort’s comments hinted the feelings may have run both ways. Still, he stressed the move came down to what the Cardinals believed was best at the time.
“My role is always to do what’s best for the team,” Ossenfort continued. “It’s always to do what’s best for the team in terms of the information that we have at that specific time.
That’s what I’ve always done. That’s what I will always continue to do, what the right move is for the team.
"It may be different as weeks go by, but at that time, we believe that was the best move for the team. And that’s what we did.”
With Harrison gone, the Cardinals are moving ahead with Trey McBride and Michael Wilson as their top two weapons, with Kendrick Bourne stepping in to fill Harrison’s spot. Houston, meanwhile, adds Harrison to a receiver group that already includes Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Jaylin Noel.
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