While the New York Jets are often the butt of the joke, they actually did something smart for once. Running Back Breece Hall, who is coming off a season where he cracked 1000 rushing yards for the first time, was bound to be an unrestricted free agent, before General Manager Darren Mougey gave him the franchise tag. Hall was expected to have multiple suitors around the league, but is now forced to play under the one year, $14 million contract. The running back is coming off his best season, despite the turmoil of the team around him. Hall played in all but one game, had 1,415 total yards from scrimmage, along with four rushing touchdowns, and a recieving score.
Hall was rumored to want out of New York midseason, after some cryptic tweets at the trade deadline, especially after Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams were shipped out of Florham Park. It was reported that the Kansas City Chiefs were very close to a trade for the RB, offering a fourth-round pick when the Jets wanted at least a third. The trade never went through, and he played the rest of the season with Gang Green.
Drafted with the 36th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Iowa State, Hall has had a productive career up to this point, recording 3,398 rushing yards through four years in the league, with 18 touchdowns. This was his last year playing under his rookie contract. Now playing under the franchise tag, he essentially has a one year "prove it" deal, to convince the Jets (or the rest of the league) to give him a big payday after this season. With Breece having his best season behind the Jets young offensive line, he could be set up to have another breakout. A key component will be what the Jets do with their quarterback position. With a number of names mentioned, from veterans to rookies, Hall will act as a safety blanket for the QB, as he did for Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook this season.