Breece Hall is set to be the lead running back in New York for at least one more season.
The Jets are placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on Hall for the 2026 campaign and the two sides are working on a long-term contract, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday, per sources. The team has since announced the news.
Hall is projected to make $14.293 million under the franchise tag -- a one-year deal based on the top five salaries at the position.
There was initial speculation the Jets would place the transition tag on Hall, per The Insiders. The transition tag, a one-year tender offer for the average top 10 salaries at RB, would have guaranteed the Jets the right of first refusal to match any offer the player might receive from another club, but they would not have received compensation if Hall signed with another club.
Hall not hitting free agency has been the expectation since Jets general manager Darren Mougey told reporters at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine that the club would tag the RB if no long-term deal was reached by the March 3 deadline.
"We'll find a way to keep Breece here if we can't get a deal done," Mougey said on Feb. 24 at the combine. "The tags are an option. Ideally, we'd find a way to get a deal done and keep Breece around. I think I've said that for the last year since I've got here. Breece is a good player. We want to find a way to keep him around."
With the franchise tag in place, Hall and the Jets have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term contract.
A second-round pick by the Jets in 2020, Hall, who's turning 25 on May 31, turned in his best statistical rushing season in a contract year. He saw career highs in carries (243) and yards (1,065) and scored four rushing touchdowns for a Jets offense that had little threat with their passing attack. Hall also produced 350 receiving yards -- the third-highest total for the Jets in 2025 -- and added another score through the air.
Hall's solid campaign figured to set him up for a sizeable pay raise after his rookie contract expired. That will certainly come through the one-year tender, and could still happen via a long-term deal with the Jets or another team that would like to acquire his talents in the coming months.
With the tagging of Hall, the Jets take a step in maintaining some consistency on an offense that welcomes a new offensive coordinator in Frank Reich and could debut another Week 1 quarterback starter in 2026.