{"id":185452,"date":"2025-07-06T08:49:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T08:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/185452\/"},"modified":"2025-07-06T08:49:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T08:49:22","slug":"the-night-larry-fitzgeralds-son-met-arizona-cardinals-rookie-marvin-harrison-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/185452\/","title":{"rendered":"The night Larry Fitzgerald\u2019s son met Arizona Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"

GLENDALE, Ariz. \u2014 A couple of months ago, Devin Fitzgerald was about to leave Texas Roadhouse when he spotted a familiar face inside the Tempe restaurant. It was Marvin Harrison Jr.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Arizona Cardinals<\/a> had selected Harrison<\/a> with the fourth pick of April\u2019s NFL Draft, injecting immediate excitement into the Valley of the Sun. The Cardinals<\/a> won only four games last season, but they showed promising signs under first-year coach Jonathan Gannon. A receiver such as Harrison was exactly what they needed.<\/p>\n

Devin, 16, wanted to talk with Harrison, but Harrison looked like he was dining with his mother. Devin left the restaurant and waited. He thought of a couple of questions and typed them into his phone. He had much in common with Harrison.<\/p>\n

\"go-deeper\"\/<\/p>\n

GO DEEPER<\/p>\n

The ‘perspicacious’ Marvin Harrison Jr., and what that means for the Cardinals<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Like the former Ohio State star, Devin, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, also was a receiver. Devin had started getting college attention after a strong finish to his sophomore season at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix. He was listed as a three-star prospect by 247 Sports with scholarship offers from schools including Arizona, Washington State and Pittsburgh. Brophy coach Jason Jewell considered Devin among the program\u2019s most improved players, growing in size and skill.<\/p>\n

But Devin and Harrison were also linked in a more complicated way. Devin is following in the footsteps of his father, Larry Fitzgerald, who played 17 seasons with the Cardinals, finishing as one of the game\u2019s great receivers, a future Hall of Famer. Harrison is doing the same, following Marvin Harrison Sr., who played 13 seasons for the Indianapolis Colts<\/a>, earning Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2016.<\/p>\n

After 15 minutes, Harrison walked out of the steakhouse. Devin approached and introduced himself, explaining that he was Larry Fitzgerald\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was wondering if I could just talk to you for a second?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, for sure,\u201d Harrison said, according to Devin. \u201cI haven\u2019t met your dad yet, but I\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larry Fitzgerald on his son\u2019s football potential & Arizona HS football \ud83c\udf35 @LarryFitzgerald<\/a><\/p>\n

(@FootballBrophy<\/a> \/ @BrophyAthletics<\/a> \/ @devinfitz118<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/pn7RjNXzKS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) July 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n

The two sat on a bench outside the restaurant, located a mile from the Cardinals practice facility. Devin expected to spend maybe five minutes with the Cardinals rookie. Instead, they talked for 45.<\/p>\n

Devin asked Harrison when Harrison started to feel like his own person, and not just Marvin Harrison\u2019s son. Harrison agreed that both their fathers had made a great impact in football and that establishing an identity inside the game had been difficult. Harrison said it wasn\u2019t until his final college season that he felt completely free from his father\u2019s shadow.<\/p>\n

Devin asked Harrison how he dealt with the pressure of being a Hall of Famer\u2019s son. Harrison told him \u201cyou just kind of use it in your own way.\u201d He said he used it as fuel, which pleased Devin because that is what he tried to do at Brophy Prep.<\/p>\n

By the time the two finished, it was after 9 p.m., and the Texas Roadhouse parking lot was nearly empty. Devin could not believe how easy it had been to talk with Harrison and how generous he had been with his time. He admired Harrison. He wanted to follow a similar path.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t wait to tell his dad.<\/p>\n

Twenty years ago, Larry Fitzgerald was in Harrison Jr.\u2019s shoes. The Cardinals selected Fitzgerald, a star receiver at Pittsburgh, with the third pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. Like Harrison, he had been a Heisman Trophy finalist, a receiver pegged for stardom.<\/p>\n

In a recent phone conversation, Fitzgerald said he thinks Harrison is entering a better situation in Arizona than he did. Harrison had created a local buzz for much of the draft\u2019s buildup. He was the popular choice. The playmaker everyone wanted. Fitzgerald said that wasn\u2019t the case with him.<\/p>\n

In 2004, the Cardinals were coming off a four-win season and a coaching change. Dave McGinnis was out and former Vikings<\/a> coach Dennis Green was in. Green and Fitzgerald had history \u2014 Fitzgerald had worked as a ball boy under Green with the Vikings. But the Cardinals had several needs entering the draft, and receiver was not among them.<\/p>\n

The previous year, Arizona had drafted Penn State receiver Bryant Johnson in the first round and Florida State receiver Anquan Boldin in the second. Boldin finished with a rookie-record 101 catches and won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He was a rising star.<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald said he felt an unpleasant vibe during his early days with the Cardinals. Like, \u201cWhy in the hell do we need another receiver?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first time I walked into a scenario where I kind of felt the resentment of teammates,\u2019\u201d Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n

Missing the first day of training camp because of an unresolved contract situation didn\u2019t help. Fitzgerald wondered if teammates looked at him as a prima donna. In addition, some teased him about his relationship with Green, telling him, \u201cOh, you\u2019re lucky your uncle drafted you,\u2019\u201d which Fitzgerald wasn\u2019t sure how to take. He felt stressed and overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

His response was to sharpen his resolve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just kind of went into \u2018prove it\u2019 mode,\u201d said Fitzgerald, an approach that started well but then stalled because of a sprained ankle suffered in Arizona\u2019s first preseason game. \u201c(Like), \u2018I\u2019m going to show them that I\u2019m worthy of being drafted in this position in everything that I do. I\u2019m going to learn, I\u2019m going to study, I\u2019m going to build relationships, I\u2019m going to do everything in my power to control the narrative.\u2019 But I definitely felt it early on.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Note: Nate Poole, a former Cardinals receiver who helped mentor Fitzgerald, said he couldn\u2019t recall any locker-room resentment, but he understands. \u201cKnowing Larry, I totally get it,\u201d Poole said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t want to let the team down because he\u2019s a team player. He didn\u2019t want to let Coach Green down because they had known each other for years. He didn\u2019t want to let the state of Arizona down. \u2026 I get that. And I can only talk about my room \u2014 who knows what the defense was saying \u2014 but in the receiver room, it wasn\u2019t that way.\u201d)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald doesn\u2019t expect Harrison to face similar hurdles. He had first heard of Harrison during the receiver\u2019s high school days at St. Joseph\u2019s Prep in Philadelphia. Friends from the area had told him: \u201cHey, Marvin\u2019s son, he\u2019s electric, man. You got to check him out.\u201d Then, like most everyone else, Fitzgerald followed Harrison at Ohio State, where he became the nation\u2019s top receiver.<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald knows Harrison is talented and selfless. He knows quarterback Kyler Murray<\/a> will not be afraid to \u201cput it in there and give him a shot.\u201d And he knows that one night in May, Harrison went out of his way to be nice to his son.<\/p>\n

\"go-deeper\"\/<\/p>\n

GO DEEPER<\/p>\n

Kyler Murray’s comfort entering Year 6 in Arizona: ‘Man, the sky’s the limit’<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he would have talked with him for five minutes, that would\u2019ve been a blessing,\u201d Fitzgerald said from Minnesota. \u201cBut he sat down on a bench and answered every question that he had, gave him advice. \u2026 I look forward to meeting him in person and thanking him for that one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marvin Harrison Jr. is off to a strong start to training camp. Gannon\u2019s expectations for the rookie have been simple: \u201cGet open, catch the ball, score points.\u201d Veteran lineman Kelvin Beachum<\/a> said Harrison has been professional, efficient and as \u201cquiet as a church mouse.\u201d He likes silent assassins.<\/p>\n

Marvin Harrison Jr coming at you. pic.twitter.com\/xGC3CejP6I<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Doug Haller (@DougHaller) July 25, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n

After Friday\u2019s practice, Harrison, 21, signed autographs and left the field at State Farm Stadium. As he walked to the locker room, he was told how much Larry Fitzgerald had appreciated him talking to his son that evening. Harrison smiled. \u201cThat\u2019s awesome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

To Harrison, this was no big deal. As he talked at Texas Roadhouse, his mom waited in the car. Then it was just two football players and a common bond. Larry Fitzgerald finished with 1,432 career catches, second-best in NFL<\/a> history. Marvin Harrison Sr. finished with 1,102, good for fifth. Those are intimidating numbers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what it feels like to be him, to be in his shoes, to be the son of someone so great,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cYou want to do the same thing and play football, but you also want to pave your own path, so I can understand the struggle that he may be going through. There\u2019s not many like us really in the world. You see like LeBron James\u2019 son in basketball and all the scrutiny that he gets. I just understand how hard it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harrison said he had three jerseys growing up \u2014 his father\u2019s, Hines Ward\u2019s and Larry Fitzgerald\u2019s. Fitzgerald is the reason he wore No. 11 as a high school freshman. Since the draft, everyone has asked if he has met the Cardinals\u2019 legend. Harrison said he hopes to soon. Like Fitzgerald\u2019s son learned from him, he wants to learn from Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, he can give me some wisdom,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Devin Fitzgerald stretches during spring practice at Brophy Prep Sports Complex in April. (Michael Chow \/ USA Today)<\/p>\n

Since leaving Texas Roadhouse, Devin and Harrison have stayed in touch. Harrison said he wants to check out one of Devin\u2019s games this fall. Anything he can do, any advice he can give, he\u2019s willing to do to help the young Fitzgerald. Because he\u2019s been there.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very humble kid,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cHe just wanted to take all the information that he could get from me and just learn. He has a great heart, and I can\u2019t wait to see what he does in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Top photo of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Devin Fitzgerald: Joe Rondone and Michael Chow \/ USA Today)<\/p>\n