Colts Would Entertain Trading for Marvin Harrison Jr. as Cardinals WR’s Trade Value and AFC South Odds Come Into Focus Ahead of Nov. 10 Deadline

The Indianapolis Colts are among the teams quietly kicking the tires on a deal for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder and Josh Weinfuss. A source told ESPN that Indianapolis “would entertain” trading for the former No. 4 overall pick, though the Cardinals are not currently shopping their third-year receiver ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.

The connection comes with obvious intrigue attached. Harrison is the son of Colts legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., who still holds multiple franchise receiving records in Indianapolis. But the football logic runs deeper than bloodlines — the Colts have a genuine need at wide receiver, and Harrison, despite his pedigree, has become one of the more talked-about disappointments of his draft class.

Why Indy Is Doing Its Homework

Indianapolis placed top receiver Alec Pierce on injured reserve last month after he re-aggravated a surgically repaired heel, a loss that has visibly hurt the Colts’ ability to generate explosive plays. Pierce led the NFL in yards per reception in each of the last two seasons, and without him the offense has leaned on slot receiver Josh Downs, veteran Keenan Allen and recently re-signed deep threat Darius Slayton — a reunion with quarterback Daniel Jones from their days with the New York Giants — to fill the void. The Colts also have Laquon Treadwell and Ashton Dulin in the mix, but none offer the vertical, X-receiver profile Pierce provided before his injury.

Harrison, meanwhile, has struggled to find any rhythm in Arizona. Through four games in 2026, he has just five receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, and he was held without a catch in one outing this season. That follows a modest second-year campaign in which he posted 41 catches for 608 yards and four touchdowns across 12 games. For a player who entered the league as the Biletnikoff Award winner out of Ohio State and the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft, the production gap has become the central storyline of his young career, with persistent questions about his ability to separate from coverage and his overall effort on tape. Harrison currently trails Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne and tight end Trey McBride in Arizona’s pass-catching pecking order.

Harrison hired agents Todd France and Tory Dandy in late September, a move that helped fuel speculation about his long-term future with the Cardinals. For his part, Harrison has downplayed the noise. “Truthfully, I pay it no mind,” he said this week. “I’m only focused on Detroit, helping the Cardinals win football games at the moment.” Arizona sources have indicated the team is not actively shopping him, but is willing to listen given the volume of calls reportedly coming in from around the league.

Betting Angle: What a Trade Would Mean for Colts Markets

Indianapolis sits at 2-2 and second in the AFC South as of this week, with the division market pricing the Colts around an 18 percent chance to win the AFC South and roughly a 36 percent chance to reach the playoffs. Their Super Bowl futures remain a long shot in the +6000 to +6600 range depending on the book, reflecting a roster still viewed as a middle-of-the-pack contender in a crowded division led by Jacksonville.

Adding a talent like Harrison — even a struggling one — would be the kind of swing move that could nudge those offensive-explosiveness numbers and, by extension, market perception of Indianapolis down the stretch. A receiver with Harrison’s draft pedigree slotting in as a big-bodied vertical complement to Downs and Slayton gives Daniel Jones another weapon to stretch a defense, which matters for a team currently searching for its missing explosive-play element. That said, league sources have flagged real hurdles: the Colts have limited 2027 draft capital to offer, and general manager Chris Ballard, reportedly facing pressure to justify his job security, may be hesitant to mortgage future assets for a player who hasn’t yet proven he belongs in a lead role.

For now, there is no indication the Cardinals are close to moving Harrison, and no other suitors have been publicly reported. But as more teams complete their own due diligence over the next month, expect any shift in asking price, offer sheet, or division contender positioning to be the next domino to watch in how both the AFC South race and Harrison’s trade value are priced leading into Nov. 10.