It’s hard to truly know what Breece Hall’s full potential is as an NFL running back.
Sure, he’s had 755 career rushing attempts over four seasons while averaging 4.5 yards per carry and totaling 3,398 rushing yards, 1,642 receiving yards and 27 total touchdowns (plus 1 passing). That’s more work than many running backs get in their entire career.
Hall has been a plenty productive player over a large sample size — but all with the New York Jets and what has largely been an abysmal offense with substandard quarterback play for most of his career there.
Now, Hall is an unrestricted free agent, and he may finally get the chance to show what he can do with a much better supporting cast putting him in a better position to excel.
If the Jets don’t slap the franchise tag on him, that is. But let’s at least consider the potential that an expensive running back is deemed a luxury for a team that may be years away from even competing for a playoff berth and that Hall is able to escape that situation.
Remember what happened when Saquon Barkley left a similarly moribund offense with the New York Giants, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and immediately rushed for 2,005 yards in 2024?
Well, let’s not say Hall is necessarily Barkley and that a similar result can be expected, but there’s every reason to believe that a change of scenery has the potential to substantially boost his performance.
Breece Hall’s Value As A Free Agent
Consider that Hall just turned in the first 1,000-yard rushing season by a Jet in 10 years while tallying 1,065 yards on the ground on 4.4 YPC despite playing for a team that had by far the worst passing offense in the NFL. The Jets’ 140.3 passing yards per game was not only dead last in the league but was 24.9 YPG behind the next-worst aerial attack (the Cleveland Browns).
Every week, Hall went up against defenses that had every reason to sellout to contain him and little reason to worry that the likes of QBs Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook were going to burn them through the air. This after being stuck with draft bust Zach Wilson at QB for most of his first two seasons.
Hall nonetheless managed to average 5.8 YPC in limited work as a rookie in 2022 and then rushed for 994 yards and 5 TDs on 4.5 YPC with a career-high 76 catches for 591 yards and 4 TDs in 2023. He played with veteran QB Aaron Rodgers in 2024, but for a nonetheless rudderless team that fired its head coach and changed play-callers after five games.
Hall was a high second-round draft pick (36th overall) out of Iowa State for a reason. He was a two-time All-American and two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year with two top-10 Heisman Trophy finishes who piled up 3,933 rushing yards, 734 receiving yards and 56 total TDs in three seasons for the Cyclones.
It would be fun to see what that talent translates to in a better situation.
Now, as noted, the Jets are reportedly strongly considering applying the franchise tag for a projected $14.5-million contract for 2026, or the transition tag which would cost a few million less and allow New York to match any offers from other teams or trade Hall.
But does it really make sense for a team with no clear plan at quarterback and glaring holes throughout the roster to pay top of the market money for a running back?
Whether it be as a true free agent or via trade, here are five teams that would be ideal landing spots for Hall in 2026.
RELATED: Top 10 NFL Free Agents For 2026
Potential Landing Spots For Breece Hall
Denver Broncos
The Broncos are going to be a top Super Bowl contender again in 2026, and it’s on the record from coach Sean Payton that improving the run game is a top offseason priority.
Denver ranked 16th in the NFL in rushing last season (118.7 YPG) despite what advanced metrics showed to be one of the best offensive lines in football.
Oft-injured veteran J.K. Dobbins led the team in rushing last season with 772 yards and 4 TDs in 10 games before a season-ending foot injury, while rookie RJ Harvey rushed for 540 yards on a meager 3.7 YPC with 7 TDs. Dobbins is a free agent as well.
Hall would be a nice upgrade for Denver — and the Broncos would be a tremendous upgrade for Hall.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are coming off a lost season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t quickly return to Super Bowl contending status with QB Patrick Mahomes working back from his season-ending knee injury — if they give their star quarterback some better complementary weapons on offense, that is.
Kansas City could use help at receiver, certainly, but it also ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing last season (106.6 YPG).
Neither Kareem Hunt nor Isiah Pacheco managed even 4.0 YPC, and Mahomes finished just 189 yards off the team rushing lead despite playing 14 games and … being a quarterback.
Kansas City has been piecing its rushing attack together for years without a singularly dynamic talent in the backfield, in part because it whiffed on 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Hall would be worth the substantial investment required for a team that simply became too one-dimensional offensively.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have bigger concerns trying to sort out their quarterback situation after letting Sam Darnold leave in free agency and lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl while former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy stumbled through his first season.
But with a change atop the front office — as that catastrophic blunder cost former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah his job — many parts of the roster will surely be reevaluated.
There’s significant buzz that expensive veteran running back Aaron Jones is a logical candidate to be released, while fellow RB Jordan Mason didn’t exactly overwhelm in his first season in Minnesota (758 rushing yards and 4 TDs). Mason also isn’t any sort of pass-catching option out of the backfield.
Hall would give the Vikings’ talented offense another star to go with elite wideout Justin Jefferson, while providing an upgrade to the ground attack and a capable three-down back who could take pressure off McCarthy (or whoever starts at QB) as a true receiving threat out of the backfield.
Chicago Bears
Yes, the Bears have a productive feature back under contract in D’Andre Swift, who had a career-best season in 2025.
So why are they on this list?
The Bears are led by one of the best offensive coaches in the NFL in Ben Johnson, who developed one of the most dynamic rushing attacks in the league while with the Lions (with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery).
Johnson was also the offensive coordinator in Detroit when the Lions traded Swift to the Eagles to upgrade at the position. Johnson inherited Swift again when he took the Bears job, and the veteran running back delivered 1,087 rushing yards, 299 receiving yards and 10 total TDs while pairing in the backfield with Kyle Monangai (783 rushing yards and 5 TDs).
But Swift is not the same talent that Hall is, and with a talented receiving corps and burgeoning star at tight end in Colston Loveland, the one skill position the Bears can upgrade for Johnson’s offense is at running back.
Imagine Hall getting set loose in a Ben Johnson offense that could truly maximize his dual-threat ability.
Washington Commanders
Believe it or not, the Commanders actually ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing in 2025 at 134.7 YPG despite playing most of the season without starting dual-threat QB Jayden Daniels and while being led on the ground by seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt (805 yards and 8 TDs).
Washington was in the NFC championship game two seasons ago, and while that felt a little flukey in the moment, there’s no reason this team can’t be back in the playoffs in 2026 with a healthy Daniels back at QB.
Washington also has minimal money invested in the running back position and could pair Hall with Croskey-Merritt as one of the better backfield tandems in the league.
