Vikings, Commanders and Chiefs get bad news from Jets free-agent rumor originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
One thing the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs all have in common is a need at running back.
The Vikings and Chiefs both finished bottom-10 in rushing yards per game in 2025 and desperately need an upgrade at the position. Meanwhile, the Commanders do not have a sure starting solution at the position going into the offseason.
One player all three teams could have an eye on is New York Jets running back Breece Hall. The problem is that the Jets appear keen on keeping him.
According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, the Jets want to work out a long-term contract with Hall, who will be the most-coveted back on the open market, assuming Hall actually makes it there.
But signing Hall to a long-term extension isn't New York's only option. They could opt to use the franchise tag on the running back, Cimini points out, which would give the team the option to trade him if it so chooses.
Here's Cimini's full thoughts on Hall's future with the Jets:
The Jets could've moved Hall at the Nov. 4 trade deadline, but they retained him for a reason: They would like to work out a long-term deal. Hall rushed for a career-high 1,065 yards and, although it wasn't his best all-around season (his receiving numbers plummeted), he did enough to win over coach Aaron Glenn. The Jets are committed to the run game, so it makes sense to keep their RB1. The question is, how much are the Jets willing to pay? Hall, entering his age-25 season, would be in high demand across the league, which is why the Jets could utilize the franchise or transition tag on him.
While we know the Jets want to keep him, we don't know if Hall actually wants to stay there — and it wouldn't shock us one bit if he doesn't.
After all, Hall has endured nothing but losing since the Jets drafted him and there is no end in sight to that. As a result, it's very conceivable he'll want to move on.
But even if that's the case, the Jets don't have to let him walk for nothing, as they can take the aforementioned approach and tag and trade Hall.
That would obviously complicate matters for the Chiefs, Commanders, Vikings and any other teams interested in Hall's services, of which there figures to be plenty.
Not only would those teams have to give up draft capital to trade for Hall, they would also have to extend him to a contract that could hit $10 million per year, maybe more.
We tend to believe Hall will end up playing elsewhere in 2026, but we don't expect Hall and the Jets to have a clean break and envision New York taking the franchise tag approach instead of letting the veteran back hit free agency.
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