I was sure tagging Hall is the way to go until I saw it would cost $14.2 million according to Over the Cap. Now I'm not so sure, but the ten million dollar raise might make him more content to hang around a year.
We don't want him hanging around for a year, we want him to be productive for a year. I can easily see him claiming the 14m bag and not putting himself in any danger of securing his next contract with another team, in a years time.
But in the free market he gets no guarantees like the franchise tag gives him. He will need to perform to get that kind of money so his benefit is best served by kicking ass, not lounging around. Whether back here again or somewhere down the road.
The Jets would be foolish to invest $14M on a guy who would not be that hard to replace. He's not that good or explosive. Lots of Jets fans and the NY media overrate this guy severely. Not sure what all the fuss is about quite honestly. If we were a RB away from competing then yeah maybe, and then only maybe. Otherwise it's irresponsible to lock up that much cap space in just an above average RB. He's not great by any means. However, that is not the current state of the Jets franchise. They are in utter rebuild mode. If Mougey is smart this is the time to completely clean house and start over. The Jets can only go one direction and Breece Hall is going in the other. Just let him leave and draft/sign a few RB's. The end.
No. Hall has never been quite as explosive as he was prior to his injury. He used to have a lot more burst and perhaps it's partly mental as he runs a lot more tentative now. Still a good back but not worth $$$. Braelon Allen is just 21 and should bounce back from injury. Isiah Davis (5.5 yard average) is a solid backup/3rd down back. They can likely provide similar production as a combo. In addition, the Jets have 12 picks and can draft another RB to add to the fold.
Extend or transition tag him if he does not accept - I want to see this done once by the Jets! Transition tag of 11.4 mil allows us to match any offer, and does not really overpay him much. Franchise tag is 14.2, which may be more than he is worth. https://overthecap.com/franchise-transition-and-rfa-tenders
I have to be honest, with what I hear, I wouldn't be shocked in the slightest if Hall were to NOT sign the Franchise tender and sit. Wouldn't shock me at all...
From another perspective, you can lean on a runningback and feed them 350 touches to let them be the center piece of the offense on a team with a strong line and a weaker QB. $14 million isn’t a lot of money in the grand scheme of how much cap space we have not only this year but the abundance we have next year. On the contrary, the Jets have been reluctant to run the offense through Breece as a work horse for the better half of the last two years through two difference regimes. I’m not sure if he gets gassed, or less effective the more he touches the ball? I’ll keep Breece even at a premium price despite not being a premium player given our cash flow IF he wants to be here, get the ball 25 times a game and not take plays off. I don’t think the latter is true and I don’t think he wants to be here.
To me, he is a fine player and not worth trying to save a few extra bucks by seeking someone else. That's assuming he wants to stay. The Jets have enormous needs at other positions, keeping running backs off their worry list is the way to go. I do not want to spend any draft pick on a back.
I don’t think he’d sit. The precedent for running backs doing that is LeVeon Bell and he effectively ended his career doing that. Funny that we got suckered into signing him after he did that too. But yeah agreed. He won’t be happy. Which is why I don’t know why anyone wants an unhappy player who’s going to give lackluster effort resulting in lackluster production on the team.
Let's be honest, we know it would never play out that way. The most carries he's ever had in his career was 243 and that was with an atrocious QB situation. So there's no way he would ever get another 100+ carries in a single season, wouldn't happen. We can assume it would be less with hopefully a more talented offensive roster around him. That being said, as I've posted previously, he just doesn't look that explosive to me anymore. I think he could definitely be replaced through the draft and FA. And as you've said, he's made some comments about not being happy here. So now seems like an ideal time to let him walk.
More than production, I am concerned about locker room impact. A sulking player not giving his best is a recipe for disaster for a locker room unity. I don't think Glenn would allow that as this is Glenn's one strong trait but still. You really don't want a disgruntled player in your locker room.
So what? Use the franchise tag if necessary. How can they let their best player from 2025 walk away while they have $96 million in cap space? So they're going to overpay other team's free agents but not take care of their own? This one is 1 + 1 easy I think.
Sign Etienne for $10M/year, save that extra $4M that Hall will command and that will help offset what it would cost to get a good FA LB'er. Plug two holes for the same amount and get a better receiving threat out of the backfield.
"Hmmm .. Kansas City, Denver, Houston, Pittsburgh or... the Jets (for 10 million). Who should I play for?" Those are the teams that Jets will compete with for top RBs in FA if they need one.
So now we're playing the "why even bother going for anyone because they won't come here game?" If he feels the Jets can give him what he wants in a featured role, they'll have a shot.
It's really the only way they have a shot, the Jets have not displayed an upward trajectory under Aaron Glenn except for a small handful of games, the only reason any of them would choose the Jets is more money or lack of other starting opportunities. They are better off drafting RBs If you are forced to overpay free agents at least do it with a high value position.
