Substantiated or not, trade rumors have emerged around New York Jets running back Breece Hall over the past week – and the 23-year-old running back is well aware of it.
Taking to his official X account, Hall shared a post that seemed to be a hilarious response to the trade rumors without directly addressing them. Featuring no caption, the Iowa State product posted a picture of a monkey staring down at his phone in disgust.
Where are the Breece Hall rumors coming from?
Hall is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract with the Jets after they selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft.
On Sunday, trade chatter surrounding Hall heated up after an ESPN article (via Rich Cimini) suggested that the Jets could look to trade Hall if they select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the draft’s seventh overall pick. Jeanty is one of the best running back prospects in recent history and could be the Jets’ top-ranked overall prospect when they are on the clock.
The Hall speculation has also been fueled in part by Jets head coach Aaron Glenn’s non-committal comments regarding the running back at last week’s owners meetings.
When asked about Hall, Glenn grouped him with fellow running backs Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis as part of a three-man committee, stating, “I think, mentally, he’s in a good place, but I would say that we have three running backs on this team that we’re going to utilize as much as possible.”
Should the Jets trade Breece Hall?
In a contract year, Hall will seek to bounce back after an underwhelming 2024 season.
Despite improved offensive line play and a better quarterback to help lighten the box, Hall dropped to a career-low 4.2 yards per rush attempt. He also averaged a career-low of 0.0 rushing yards over expected (RYOE) per carry, which ranked 21st among the 31 running backs with 150+ carries.
Hall was not as effective as usual at creating his own yardage, setting career-worst marks in missed tackles forced per carry (0.172) and yards after contact per carry (3.0). In addition, he ranked second among running backs with six fumbles after having only three over his first two seasons.
For many reasons, the trade speculation surrounding Hall makes sense. However, at just 23 (soon to be 24) years old, Hall still has plenty of time to get his career back on track, and that cannot be brushed aside.
Just one year ago, Hall was coming off a season in which he ranked second among running backs with 1,585 scrimmage yards despite being one year removed from an ACL tear and playing in a horrid offensive situation. That ceiling did not disappear overnight.
Hall remains an extremely high-upside player for the Jets. Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, while promising young players in their own rights, cannot match the ceiling Hall brings to the table. The Jets would be foolish to cast Hall to the wayside for pennies.
If the Jets decide to part ways with Hall, they would need to not only fetch a high-quality return, but also ensure they have a replacement who offers similar or better upside; hence Rich Cimini’s suggestion they would only trade Hall after landing Jeanty.
It will be fascinating to see how Jets general manager Darren Mougey reacts if given the chance to take Jeanty at No. 7. Whatever happens, we know that Hall is privy to the hoopla involving his name.
