No lies: It’s been a roller coaster ride for rookie Marvin Harrison Jr.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t enter his rookie season hanging onto expectations.

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

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

But 16 games into his NFL career, Harrison isn’t denying the obvious:

Marvin Harrison Jr. isn’t going to lie and say his rookie season has been easy, but the Cardinals wide receiver continues to lean on his teammates, coaches and family while worrying about the process and not the results. pic.twitter.com/w1pk13fcID

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) December 26, 2024

“I’m not going to lie and say it’s been easy,” Harrison said Thursday. “Definitely a lot different for me. Just the success you kinda had in the past and then to kinda have a roller coaster ride of a year as a rookie, it’s been hard.

“But leaning on my teammates and my coaches. They do a good job of encouraging me each and every week. Family as well. I’m just having an approach of worrying about the process instead of the results more than anything.”

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

And so far, the body of work has been far from what many envisioned for the No. 4 overall pick that 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 — outside of maybe the scores — he was expected to.

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

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 linked up on some impressive throws here and there, they’ve missed out on plenty of opportunities throughout the year due to miscommunication.

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

Is Marvin Harrison Jr. surprised with where his connection is with Kyler Murray?

“In order to be surprised, you’re gonna have to have expectations. I came in with an open mind.

“Just want to go out there and do the best that I can. He’s doing the best he can. We’ll get better.” pic.twitter.com/XKyCc7RIwu

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) December 26, 2024

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

“Whatever we got to do to figure it 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 things off of in his father and Hall of Famer, Marvin Harrison Sr.

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

Much 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 similar picture to what the younger Harrison is experiencing.

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

So, if anyone has any advice on bouncing back from a slow start in the NFL, Harrison’s likely at or near the top of the list.

“It’s a 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 peaks and valleys of 2024, he wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

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

“Just gotta be grateful you get the chance to play this game that you love and be healthy.”

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