The Patriots may not be done shopping for help at wide receiver, and one name that’s now floating into the conversation is Marvin Harrison Jr.
That idea came up Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand,” where Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said New England could be a logical landing spot if Arizona decides to move on from the former No. 4 overall pick. Breer pointed to Mike Vrabel as the kind of coach who might be able to reach Harrison on the mental side of the game.
“So who can get through to him on the toughness part of it? And I would say Mike Vrabel would probably be one of the guys who could."
Harrison was drafted by the Cardinals in 2024, one pick after the Patriots took Drake Maye out of North Carolina. A little less than three years later, the possibility of Harrison catching passes from Maye in Foxborough is at least being discussed, even if his NFL production so far hasn’t matched the hype that followed him out of Ohio State.
His career in Arizona has started unevenly. After a rookie season that produced 62 catches, 885 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024, Harrison took a step back in 2025 with 41 catches on 73 targets for 608 yards and four touchdowns. This season has started even slower, with just one catch for 33 yards.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote that the Cardinals may be open to a fresh start for Harrison after making financial commitments elsewhere on offense. He noted the extension for Michael Wilson Jr., the arrival of a new coaching staff and a new offense, and the fact that Harrison is extension-eligible after this season.
“The team signed fellow wide receiver Michael Wilson Jr. to a contract extension this offseason,” Graziano wrote. “They have a new coaching staff and a new offense.
Harrison is extension-eligible after this season, and as of now, the Cardinals would have a hard time paying him based on what he’s shown in the league so far. It’s worth watching out for a potential change-of-scenery deal in this case.”
For New England, the fit is easy enough to understand. The Patriots could use another receiver, and a player with Harrison’s size and skill set would add another layer to a passing game that is moving ahead without A.J. Brown for at least another 3-5 weeks because of a high ankle sprain.
Harrison, listed at 6-foot-3, brings obvious tools. He can threaten downfield, and he showed a more varied route tree during his time at Ohio State and again during his rookie year in the NFL. He’s also been working with Kyler Murray and Jacoby Brissett through his first three seasons in Arizona, which makes the idea of pairing him with Maye all the more interesting.
Breer said the concerns around Harrison go beyond pure talent. He described what he’d heard from football sources as a “toughness issue” that may help explain the uneven results.
Still, Breer also said Vrabel’s ties to Ohio State could matter if the Patriots ever seriously explore a trade. Vrabel played at Ohio State and coached there from 2011-13, and Breer suggested that background could give New England a real advantage in evaluating Harrison.
“Mike Vrabel is going to be privy to the best information on Marvin Harrison because of where he went to school,” Breer said. “So he’s going to be - whatever the goods are on Marvin Harrison.
Like Mike Vrabel knows [former Ohio State wide receivers coach / offensive coordinator] Brian Hartline, who was Harrison’s guy at Ohio State. He knows [Ohio State head coach] Ryan Day.
He knows everybody in that program.”
Breer also floated the possibility that Arizona might not ask for much if it decided to move Harrison. If the cost dropped to something like a Day 3 pick, he said the Patriots could see enough upside to make the gamble.
“I mean, A.J. Brown is - you want him to be your number one [receiver] when he comes back, and then maybe he’s your number one for another year.
But then you don’t have an answer beyond that. That’s where it might be worth taking the flyer.”
Even with all that, there’s no guarantee Harrison would turn into the kind of franchise receiver New England would be hoping for. But if the Cardinals are truly willing to listen, the Patriots are the kind of team that could at least make sense as a landing spot.
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