Marvin Harrison Jr. Confirms Drastic Health Changes After Cardinals WR’s Surgery Amid Jonathan Gannon’s Firing

Marvin Harrison Jr.’s fight to stay on the field this season was only half the battle; his biggest challenge came off of it, on a hospital scale. He missed five games this season because of injury, and as he confirmed, he’s undergone drastic health changes.

“I lost majority of the weight that I had, but kind of back to square one a little bit, and then never got chance to recover,” said Marvin Harrison Jr during an interview, via PHNX Cardinals’ Bo Brack on X.

When asked how much he lost, the wide receiver answered, “Like 10 pounds.”

 

Marvin Harrison Jr. says he lost about 10 pounds from his appendicitis, which was most of the weight he gained in the offseason @PHNX_Cardinals pic.twitter.com/XOUga7arEO

— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) January 5, 2026

Losing ten pounds is a significant setback for any NFL receiver, impacting both strength and durability. Harrison Jr. had an appendicitis surgery on November 10, 2025, which is why he lost so much weight. The surgery took place following a game against the Seattle Seahawks. As a result, the wide receiver missed two upcoming games.

Harrison’s attempt at a comeback was a frustrating cycle of hope and disappointment. His Week 13 return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was cut short by a heel injury after a promising 69-yard performance, sidelining him for another two games. When he finally took the field again in Week 17, the same injury flared up, prematurely ending his season.

With consecutive injuries, Marvin Harrison Jr. barely got any time to recover. It was a tough season for him as he finished the season with 41 receptions for 608 yards and four touchdowns. He played all 17 games in his rookie year of 2024, but this year he played only 12. While the wide receiver is still recovering, the Arizona Cardinals released major news on Black Monday.

The Arizona Cardinals have fired their head coach, Jonathan Gannon

The Arizona Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon on Black Monday, kicking off their offseason with a major change. Although expectations were high after last year’s losing season, the Cardinals failed to live up to them. Under Gannon’s coaching, they finished with a record of 3-14. On Monday, owner Michael Bidwill and General Manager Monti Ossenfort announced their parting with the head coach after their defeat in Week 18.

“(Gannon) made us better, but this is a league about wins and losses,” said Michael Bidwill, via the official site of the Arizona Cardinals. “The wins and losses speak for themselves, especially this year. We felt we were going in the wrong direction, and we needed to change course.”

In 2023, the Cardinals hired Jonathan Gannon. But in three seasons, they only won 15 games, while losing 36 games. Compounding their struggles, they went just 3-15 against their NFC West rivals. Losing nine consecutive games strengthened the owner’s decision. Surprisingly, they were the only team from the NFC West that did not make it to the playoffs. Talk about being left out!

However, Gannon is not entirely to blame. The season saw more players on IR than on the active roster. At the end of the season, they had 25 players on IR, and more than 30 players were on IR at some point during the season. Thanks to their season record, the Cardinals will get the third pick during the NFL Draft. While it was not what they expected, they ought to make everything count.

Owner Michael Bidwill and GM Monti Ossenfort are expected to move quickly, with new NFL rules allowing them to begin interviewing candidates from non-playoff teams as early as Tuesday. They can interview non-playoff teams’ assistants and teams with first-round byes’ assistants on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. To interview assistants from the other franchises, they will have to wait for a week. These rules ensured the smooth functioning of the coaching staff during the postseason.

Now, it remains to be seen who ends up being the successor of Jonathan Gannon and whether they make the most out of the draft and the 2026 season.

 

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