INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — New York Jets officials have made it clear they won’t allow star running back Breece Hall to become a free agent when the new league year begins, though the situations surrounding other elite backs like Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and David Montgomery are less certain.
Speaking Tuesday during the NFL scouting combine, Jets general manager Darren Mougey confirmed the organization intends to apply either a franchise or transition tag to Hall should contract negotiations fail to produce an agreement before the March 3 deadline.
Using the franchise tag would secure Hall approximately $14.5 million for the upcoming season, while the transition tag would guarantee roughly $11.7 million. Under franchise tag rules, competing teams could present Hall with offer sheets, giving the Jets five days to match or receive two first-round draft picks as compensation. The transition tag offers no compensation if another team signs him.
“The tags are an option,” Mougey explained. “Ideally we find a way to get a deal done to keep Breece around. I think I’ve said that for the last year since I got here. Breece is a good player, we want to find a way to keep him around. We’ve been going through that process and are still doing so and we have a week to find out if we can’t get to an agreement, which way we’ll go.”
Selected in the second round during 2022, Hall achieved a personal best 1,065 rushing yards this past season in New York and sits 12th league-wide with 2,935 total rushing yards over his three-year career.
Currently, just one NFL running back is slated to earn $14 million or more in cash next season, with 2024 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley receiving $16.75 million from Philadelphia.
Walker’s situation presents more uncertainty following his fourth NFL campaign, which concluded with Super Bowl MVP honors for Seattle after his 135-yard rushing performance in this month’s victory over New England.
Coming off his second career 1,000-yard rushing season, Walker demonstrated his ability to handle increased workload during the playoffs, averaging 104.3 rushing yards per game after Zach Charbonnet suffered a season-ending knee injury in the divisional round.
When asked Tuesday whether Seattle would use a tag to secure Walker for 2026, general manager John Schneider avoided giving a direct response.
“We’d love to have Ken back, we’d love to have everybody back,” Schneider stated. “But he knows this better than anybody, it’s about our 70, our collective, and what it’s going to look like. And we’ll have those meetings down here. We’ll start, you know, talking to all the agents and, yeah, we’ll have a better feel of where we’re going to go toward the end of the week. But, obviously, we’d love that (having Walker back). When you get something special like that, let’s run it back.”
Montgomery remains under Detroit’s contract through 2027 with approximately $6 million owed in 2026, though he could become available via trade as Jahmyr Gibbs has established himself as the Lions’ primary back.
The 29-year-old Montgomery posted career-low numbers last season with 158 carries for 716 yards as Detroit’s offensive strategy shifted toward featuring Gibbs, who becomes eligible for a contract extension this offseason.
During his initial two seasons with Detroit as the starter, Montgomery accumulated 1,790 yards and 25 touchdowns, but served as a backup in all 17 games this past year.
“I’ve been in touch with David’s agent, his representation,” Lions GM Brad Holmes revealed. “We love David. He’s a great player. We’d love to have him. Kind of want to put last year in the rear view and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be in a certain place as well. So those conversations are still fluid and we’re just trying to see how it goes.”
