Marvin Harrison Jr.’s second NFL season still hasn’t come together the way many expected. The former 4th overall pick has had trouble finding consistency, and Arizona’s unreliable supporting cast hasn’t made things any easier. On top of that, Harrison’s now dealing with appendicitis, which kept him out last week.
His status for Week 12 remains uncertain, and there’s still no clear timeline beyond that.
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What is Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Current Status?
Last Wednesday, following Arizona’s Week 10 loss to Seattle, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon announced that Harrison Jr. underwent surgery for appendicitis and would miss Week 11 against San Francisco, as reported by Adam Schefter.
Harrison’s appendicitis wasn’t the result of anything that happened during the Seattle game. The Cardinals discovered the issue on Monday, and Harrison underwent an appendectomy shortly after.
Being ruled out on Wednesday, the focus shifted to his outlook for the coming weeks. When Gannon was asked whether it would be just a one-week absence, he simply said, “We’ll see.”
Historically, appendectomy recoveries in the NFL often turn into multi-week absences. In 2022, Packers lineman David Bakhtiari missed three weeks after the surgery, while Minkah Fitzpatrick took two weeks off, including a bye week.
More recently, in 2024, Packers running back Marshawn Lloyd had surgery and was placed on the non-football injury list, missing multiple weeks. Overall, the typical recovery timeline is around 2–3 weeks.
With Arizona sitting at just three wins and dealing with injuries across the roster, Harrison’s return is uncertain. He could be back in a couple of weeks, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the team decided to shut him down for the season.
Harrison had been starting to show signs of life with Jacoby Brissett under center. He had a breakout performance against Dallas in Week 9, recording seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Week 10 against Seattle was tougher, hauling in just 3 of 13 targets for 33 yards, though he did make a slick back-shoulder touchdown grab from nine yards out, a small flash of what he’s capable of.
Harrison is currently ranked No. 42 on PFSN’s WR Impact metric with a 74.7 impact score.
In Week 11 against the 49ers, the Cardinals lost without Harrison, dropping to 3-7 on the season. Trey McBride had a strong game with 115 yards and a score, while Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch stepped up with 185 and 66 receiving yards, respectively, a career-high for Wilson.
Nothing is confirmed yet, but expect these three to carry a similar role in Week 12 and potentially beyond while Harrison’s status remains in flux.