Marvin Harrison Jr. weighing in on the rollercoaster rookie year

On By Littum

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t go into his rookie season with the expectations.

It was about keeping an open mind heading into the unknown Year 1 for the young pass catcher.

As he put it Thursday, “to be surprised, you have to have expectations.”

But 16 games into his NFL career, Harrison doesn’t deny the obvious:

“I’m not going to lie and say it’s been easy,” Harrison said Thursday. “Definitely a lot different for me. Just the success that you kind of had in the past and then having a rollercoaster of a year as a rookie, it’s been tough.

“But leaning on my teammates and my coaches. They do a great job of encouraging me every single week. Family as well. I just have an approach of worrying about the process instead of the results more than anything else.”

Harrison may not have had any expectations for Year 1, but almost everyone else did.

And so far, the work has been far from what many had imagined for the overall election no. 4, who was a consistent threat on a weekly basis at Ohio State.

Catching 51% of his targets for 726 yards and seven touchdowns, Harrison just hasn’t put up the numbers — maybe outside of the scoring — he was expected to.

Instead, it has been Brian Thomas Jr.’s (1,088 yards) and Brock Bowers’ (1,067) of the rookie pass catchers.

A big reason why Harrison isn’t part of the 1,000-yard club or with a few more touchdowns has been his connection with quarterback Kyler Murray.

While the two have connected on some impressive throws here and there, they have missed plenty of opportunities throughout the year due to miscommunication.

It hasn’t been entirely on Murray, with Harrison struggling to win his fair share of contested catches, but their chemistry could use some extended reps going forward.

“I just want to go out and do the best I can. He’s doing the best he can. We’re getting better,” Harrison said.

“Whatever we have to do to find out, I’m sure we will,” he added.

Marvin Harrison Jr.’s message from dad

Aside from his resources within the Cardinals organization, Harrison has one heck of an outlet to bounce off of in his father and Hall of Famer, Marvin Harrison Sr.

Long before Harrison got the gold jacket, he had his own roller coaster ride as a rookie in 1996.

Like his son, Harrison struggled to find consistency in Year 1 with the 9-7 Indianapolis Colts.

His 64 catches, 836 receiving yards and eight scores, paired with just two 100-yard showings, paint a picture similar to what the younger Harrison is experiencing.

The rest is history for the senior, who posted 1,000-yard seasons and double-digit scoring from 1999-06.

So if anyone has any advice for bouncing back from a slow start in the NFL, Harrison is probably at or near the top of the list.

“That’s part of it, part of the sport, part of being a rookie and going from the college level to the pro level. Always keep your head up,” Harrison said of his father’s advice this rookie year.

Still blessed

The ups and downs of Harrison’s rookie season have been evident.

Despite the highs and lows of 2024, he wouldn’t do anything else.

“It’s been a blessing. It really has,” Harrison said, reflecting on this year as a whole. “Sometimes you have to take a step back and just realize what you get a chance to do. I get the chance to do something I love every single day.

“You just have to be thankful that you get the chance to play this game that you love and be healthy.”