Breece Hall made it back on time from an October 2022 ACL tear, returning in Week 1 of the 2023 season. The former second-round pick, however, has not quite recaptured his rookie-year explosiveness. And his future with the Jets is in doubt.
The new Jets regime is unlikely to authorize an offseason extension for the contract-year player. Hall was mentioned as a player who could generate trade interest, but he remains on the Jets’ roster post-draft. The Jets did not draft a running back, but they saw early promise from 2024 fourth-round pick Braelon Allen last season.
A pre-draft report on Hall (via The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson) indicated some around the league viewed him as available. That may be the case, but he remains a Jet. New GM Darren Mougey (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) referred to Hall as “on the team” and noted he has not spoken with teams on the back.
That stops short of a ringing endorsement, but with teams regularly discussing non-star players in swaps, the Jets considering a trade is logical due to Hall’s contract-year status. A team did hear of Hall’s availability for “the right price,” according to SNY’s Connor Hughes, but he did not get the sense the team was shopping him. These draft-week rumors, however, further point to 2025 potentially becoming a free agency audition for Hall.
Showing strong form upon arrival, Hall averaged 5.8 yards per carry as a rookie. He scored an 62-yard touchdown during the game in which he went down. The Iowa State product has missed just one game over the past two seasons, boding well for his chances at a quality contract year. But he has averaged 4.5 and 4.2 yards per tote, respectively, in those years. Though, Allen only checked in at 3.6 per handoff as a rookie. Going into only his age-24 season, Hall should still have a chance to make a case for an extension or a lucrative 2026 free agency deal. Hall joins Travis Etienne and 2022 draftees James Cook, Kyren Williams, Kenneth Walker and Isiah Pacheco as RBs on track to become — barring extensions — first-time free agents in 2026.
A back who is unlikely to reach free agency when he becomes eligible, Jahmyr Gibbs factored into past Jets RB plans as well. With Hall coming off his ACL tear, the Jets were prepared to use their 2023 first-round pick (No. 15 overall) on Gibbs. Since-fired GM Joe Douglas said (via Fox’s Jay Glazer) the Jets were “100%” drafting Gibbs 15th overall in 2023. The team did not expect the Alabama alum to go until at least the 20s. The Lions, after trading down from No. 6 (via the Cardinals), took Gibbs 12th.
Douglas said the Jets, shortly after acquiring Aaron Rodgers, had planned to add the dynamic weapon to pair with the team’s would-be QB savior. The Lions received criticism for taking Gibbs that high, but he has become an impact presence on a team that used the 2023 draft — which also included second-rounders Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch — as a key avenue to building one of the NFL’s best rosters. The Jets stuck with Hall, signing Dalvin Cook as a potential bridge while the team’s RB1 returned from injury.
At the time, reporting pointed to the Jets eyeing Georgia tackle Broderick Jones. Many viewed that as the team’s plan, as the Steelers swooped in and chose Jones, who has yet to justify the No. 14 draft slot. Jones, however, could have been the team’s Plan B option after the Lions had taken him at 12. The Jets had swapped first-round slots with the Packers as part of the Rodgers trade, dropping from 13 to 15, and they added promising edge rusher Will McDonald with their pick.
That wasn’t for a lack of trying. Detroit traded up twice on Day 2, but general manager Brad Holmes said that he made several more attempts to move up throughout the draft. One of those potential trades was targeting an edge rusher in the first round, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, though the deal fell through and the Lions stayed at No. 28 to take Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.
