Jets Just Outmaneuvered Market With Breece Hall Tag

The New York Jets made a very good decison around young running back Breece Hall on Tuesday.

Reports surfaced indicating that the Jets opted to hand Hall the franchise tag on Tuesday rather than the transition tag. The rumors have been loud for weeks indicating one of the tags was coming and New York opted to roll with the franchise tag in the end.

When the reports surfaced on Tuesday, they were enough bring a bit of positivity to the Jets' fanbase. Utilizing the franchise tag essentially guarantees that Hall will stick around with the franchise in 2026, whether that is on the one-year deal worth just over $14 million, or on a new, multi-year deal. The Jets have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal.

The Jets RB is sticking around

Nov 30, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) rushes the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One thing that is important to note is the fact that there are two different franchise tags: the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags. When the Jets officially announced the move, they announced that it was the non-exclusive franchise tag, which arguably is for the best.

"The Jets have placed the 2026 non-exclusive franchise tag on RB Breece Hall," Jets team reporter Eric Allen wrote. "The non-exclusive tag allows Hall to negotiate with other NFL teams, but the Green and White are ensured the right to match any offer he receives. If Hall agrees to an offer that the Jets don't match, the team acquiring him will be required to send the Jets two-first round picks as compensation."

As Allen noted, other teams can still speak to Hall, but New York can match any offer he gets, if another team does end up making an offer. If a team makes an offer to Hall and the Jets don't match it, they would receive two first-round picks as a result. So, with the decision, the Jets pretty much guarantee Hall will return in some capacity. But, if some team opts to make some sort of shocking offer, which isn't likely, the Jets would have the opportunity to match or get draft compensation back.

All in all, there is very little downside with the decision. If the Jets had offered the exclusive tag, Hall wouldn't have been able to talk to other teams. So, with the non-exclusive tag, the Jets at least slightly keep all doors open.

It's important to note that SNY's Connor Hughes reported that part of the reason why the team went with the franchise tag was because the buzz from the combine pointed to Hall's value "far" exceeding the value of the transition tag. So, clearly there would've been a strong market if Hall had reached the open market. Now, the Jets keep to keep their star running back.