Jets plan to use franchise tag on RB Breece Hall if deal not reached

New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey made it clear the team intends to retain Breece Hall one way or another this offseason.

The Jets plan to use either the franchise tag or transition tag on their standout running back if a long-term deal can't be reached by the March 3 deadline, Mougey said on Tuesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

"We'll find a way to keep Breece here if we can't get a deal done," Mougey said.

Hall, 24, has rushed for 3,398 yards and 18 touchdowns in four seasons since the Jets selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. He amassed a career-high 1,065 yards in 2025, becoming the first Jet since 2015 to surpass 1,000 rushing yards. He was retained at the trade deadline despite New York shipping off a number of other top players.

The franchise tag, which pays a player a one-year deal at the rate of the average of the top five salaries at his position, would be worth $14.5 million for Hall in 2026. The transition tag, which pays the average of the top 10 positional salaries, would be worth approximately $11.7 million.

The difference between the two is that the Jets would not be eligible for draft compensation on a transition tag should they elect not to match an offer from another team to Hall.

Even if the Jets were to tag Hall, the two sides could continue to work toward a new contract up until July 15, at which point he would play under the tag and be a pending free agent once more next offseason.

--Field Level Media