Breece Hall is heading into his fifth season in the league, and while he technically doesn’t have a contract beyond this year, the New York Jets still have control thanks to the franchise tag window. The running back remains one of the top franchise-tag candidates for 2026, and while that option is still very much on the table, the team appears to be weighing other possibilities as well.

According to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the Jets are still considering “all options” for Breece Hall, including a long-term deal, franchise tag, or transition tag.

There’s been a feeling ever since the trade deadline that general manager Darren Mougey will ultimately decide to put the tag on him because the front office rejected approaches from multiple teams, including the Chiefs, who offered a 4th-round pick, hoping that they can simply use the tag on him during the offseason.

It’s almost March, and the office still isn’t sure about its plan of action. In case the Jets decide to go for a non-exclusive franchise tag, Hall would have the option to sign a tender sheet with a different franchise, and New York will have an opportunity to match the offer. If they fail to match it and let the RB leave, they’d receive two first-round draft picks.

An exclusive tag, on the other hand, would give the Jets the exclusive negotiating rights, and Hall wouldn’t be able to sign a tender with any other team. A transition tag is pretty similar to a non-exclusive tag, but the price of the tender would vary. According to Over The Cap, it would be around $11.728 million for Hall.

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From a player’s perspective, a long-term contract is always a lot more attractive than a tag, and Breece Hall subtly made his position clear by retweeting something rather peculiar on X.

“Breece Hall ranks No. 2 on @TheAthletic’s list of top free agents. Hall is a home run threat every time he touches the ball and has produced consistently in poor circumstances. He has a ton of upside with a better infrastructure around him, including better QB play,” the tweet read. It also contained a “Free20” tag.

His ambitions are not really a surprise when you factor in his production over the years. Regardless of the dysfunction on the offensive side of the ball, Breece ended the year with 1,065 yards and 4 touchdowns and has gotten close to breaking the 1,000-yard mark in the two seasons prior.

This level of production, with a stable quarterback, can get a lot better. Add in the fact that $24M has only added to his worth.

Javonte Williams’ Cowboys deal is good news for Breece Hall

There was a little revamp in the running back market on Saturday, when the Dallas Cowboys signed RB Javonte Williams to a three-year, $24 million deal, according to insider Ian Rapoport.

“The Cowboys and standout RB Javonte Williams have agreed to terms on a 3-year deal worth $24M, sources say,” Rapoport wrote. “Dallas keeps a big-time player. He gets his $8M per year after a breakout season in a deal that was done by [Nicole Lynn] of [Klutch Sports].”

Javonte, Dallas, and the fans would be pretty happy with this update, but even happier would be Breece Hall. Assuming that he remains a free agent, he now has the opportunity to cash in big time. According to analyst Rich Cimini, Hall might now be looking at an annual salary of more than $8 million, and if he’s lucky, it can even crack $10 million.

“The first running-back deal: Javonte Williams agrees to a three-year, $24M ($16M gtd) contract to stay with the Cowboys, per reports,” Cimini wrote. “Expect Breece Hall to go north of $8M per year, perhaps $10M AAV (if not tagged). It’s a buyer’s market, with several productive RBs eligible for free agency.”

For context, Hall has only made around $10,495,307 so far in his career, according to Spotrac. The Williams deal gives him leverage to negotiate a lucrative contract, whether it happens in New York or elsewhere.

Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne Jr., Tyler Allgeier, Rico Dowdle, and J.K. Dobbins are all scheduled to be UFAs, so the market might get a little saturated, but he should still expect a potential deal to exceed $8 million annually.