Breece Hall franchise tag backlash sparks 'same old Jets' narratives

Instead of using the transition tag, the New York Jets opted to franchise tag running back Breece Hall, locking him in on a $14.3 million salary for the 2026 season.

Reports coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine indicated that the Jets initially planned on using the transition tag, but Hall's market was more robust than expected, so they decided not take the risk of a team blowing them out of the water on a new contract and changed course.

The tag has been met with backlash from opposing fans and analysts, claiming the Jets are holding Hall hostage after playing out his rookie contract in New York.

But it all boils down to people pontificating the "same old Jets" narratives, which, quite frankly, are getting tiresome.

Jets backlash for franchise tagging Breece Hall is just silly

No one would argue the fact that the Jets have been one of the most poorly run franchises in recent NFL history. But franchise tagging their starting running back isn't evidence that they're inept.

In fact, the notion that New York pivoted from the transition tag to the franchise tag is proof that they know what they're doing, at least in this circumstance, because they likely would've lost him if they hadn't.

As CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported, the Denver Broncos were ready to make a substantial offer to Hall that the Jets wouldn't be willing to match. New York isnt in a position to be creating holes on their roster; they need to be filling them.

Either way, the situation was a lose-lose situation, optically around the league. If the Jets hadn't retained Hall, people would have questioned why they didn't trade him at last year's deadline with the likes of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

There were reports that the Kansas City Chiefs offered a fourth-round pick, but Darren Mougey refused to move off his asking price of at least a third. At that point, it was almost a no-brainer for New York to utilize at least one of the tags to keep their running back in place.

Now, Hall will be a Jet for at least one more season, and the team has until mid-July to hammer out a long-term extension.