New York Jets 24-Year-Old Running Back Franchised Tagged
After four seasons with the New York Jets, standout running back Breece Hall has officially been franchise tagged by the team. Hall is coming off the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career to pair with 350 yards through the air and six total touchdowns. The 24-year-old running back was picked in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State, along with first-round receiver Garrett Wilson out of Ohio State, to bring a spark to a Jets offense helmed by quarterback Zach Wilson. The Jets’ offense never ranked higher than 24th in total yards per game during Hall’s tenure, and the Denver Broncos traded for Zach Wilson in 2024, meaning this ultimately didn't pan out. Last season, the Jets were one of the worst teams in the league, finishing a dismal 3-14 to earn the second overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Even though the team's offense struggled, people always saw Hall as one of the bright spots on the team. In four seasons, he had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in three of them, the only exception being his rookie season, in which he tore his ACL and meniscus during a 16-9 Week Seven victory over, ironically, the Denver Broncos. Since then, Hall has played in 49 out of 51 possible matchups, so there are likely no injury concerns for him from the Jets. He was even able to show some of his quarterbacking ability last season on October 26th against the Cincinnati Bengals when he threw a four-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Mason Taylor to go along with his 133 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, helping to power the Jets to a 39-38 victory.
With the Jets, Hall will have a chance to explode onto the scene as one of the elite rushers in the league in a brand-new offense with more playmakers and better coaching than he had previously. After three head coaches and three offensive coordinators in four years, he will hopefully have more stability now that he’s away from the Jets. A consistent play caller and scheme can do wonders for increasing a team’s firepower, and the 24-year-old running back is more than capable of making that happen once he’s settled in. Stepping back into the bright lights of the New York sports market could make his future even brighter. Only time will tell if Hall can take that next step into stardom, and we’ll just have to wait and see if the Jets can turn this dream into reality.
