Ever since he was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, New York Jets running back Breece Hall has seen a revolving door at the quarterback position. Not only has it been tough for the Jets, but it’s also put him in a difficult situation.
Since joining the team, Hall has watched the Jets’ passing offense rank in the bottom 10 in two of his four seasons. New York has also featured at least three starting quarterbacks in all but one of Hall’s four campaigns.
That kind of instability can crush the upside of a top running back like Hall. It’s why, when speaking to reporters for the first time since signing his three-year extension this week, the Iowa State product was honest.
“I feel like I’m the only running back that’s consistently a top-10 back in the league who hasn’t — in the past — always been in the most ideal situation,” Hall said. “So, I feel like now, with AG (Jets head coach Aaron Glenn) and Moug (Jets general manager Darren Mougey) … I feel like they really put me in position with all the guys we brought in; and the team, we’re ready to flourish and for me to really be myself.”
Outside of an extension that pays him the third-most of any running back in football, there’s a reason why Hall is so excited about the 2026 season, and it deals with one of the newcomers.
Hall celebrates Geno
Hall has seen the Jets try to find their answers at quarterback with a proven veteran. The Aaron Rodgers gamble was an abject failure across the board for the franchise.
Things are different, though, now that Geno Smith is in the building. Like Hall, Smith is a former second-round pick by the team, only he last played for Gang Green in 2016.
Smith’s arrival is a welcome one for Hall. He has worked out with Smith during the offseason and has already begun to get to know him off the field. That kind of leadership comes from a quarterback who believes he can be exactly what the Jets need.
“Once Geno got signed, he made an effort to work out with me and Braelon (Allen),” Hall said. “It was good just to meet him and talk to him, connect with him. I’ve known him for a little while longer than everybody, so it was cool to get back.
“When the offseason program began, he said, ‘I’m bringing Breece back with me in two weeks,’ so it’s good to have him here so far.”
New York has revamped their roster over the last few months, but it’s the addition of Smith that has Hall most excited. Coming off a season in which he totaled over 1,000 yards rushing, despite the team finishing dead last in almost every passing category, Hall hoped for a major upgrade at quarterback compared to last year.
In Geno, he now believes he has that.
“Honestly, just the fact that they brought a proven veteran in like Geno and then we drafted some really good guys … it let me know that, ok, we’re really trying to build something here,” Hall said.
Hall has seen quarterbacks come and go throughout his career with the Jets. He’s praying that the team finally has someone they can rely on with Smith in the fold.
If Geno Smith produces an average of his past few seasons, the New York Jets may finally have a signal-caller who can truly get the best out of the entire offense, Breece Hall included.
