Mike LaFleur: Marvin Harrison Jr. situation wasn't a distraction, not why we didn't play well

Published October 11, 2026 08:58 PM Word that the Cardinals were planning to trade wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. broke on Saturday morning and word that they had agreed to a deal with the Texans came just as the Cardinals were starting Sunday’s game against the Lions. That game did not go well for Arizona. The Lions got out to a 31-7 lead on their way to a 45-21 win that led to questions for head coach Matt LaFleur about whether the Harrison situation was a distraction for the team. LaFleur said he does not believe it was a distraction and that the Harrison situation was “not why we didn’t play well.” LaFleur declined to delve into things like whether Harrison wanted to be moved, how the Cardinals came to the decision to trade him or why Harrison failed to blossom in Arizona after being drafted fourth overall in 2024. “I’m not gonna totally get into that right now,” LaFleur said, via Theo Mackie of AZCentral.com. “I really like Marvin Harrison. He’s a good person. I wish him well. We did what we thought was in the best interest of the Cardinals. Any guy that does not play to the level I feel like they’re capable of, I’m always gonna put that on me and coaching in general.”The loss was the Cardinals’ fourth straight since beating the Chargers in Week 1, which tends to support LaFleur’s feeling that the problems plaguing the team go beyond any distractions that Harrison’s situation might have provided over the last couple of days.