Breece Hall milestone quietly clarifies Jets most important offseason decision

With 111 yards on the ground in Week 17, Breece Hall eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yards plateau for the first time in his career. The effort was one of the very few bright spots in the New York Jets' 42-10 debacle against the hated New England Patriots, but what it signifies is something very important for the future.

Hall is no stranger to racking up yards. His superb 2023 campaign saw him rack up 1,585 yards from scrimmage, fourth most in the league that season, but in what was his previous career high, he fell just short of the 1,000-yard rushing mark, tallying 994 on the ground. Now, he becomes the first back to record 1,000 yards rushing for Gang Green since Chris Ivory in 2015.

The standout performance has completely changed the narrative around Hall, transforming him from a prime trade candidate to a must-re-sign as the Jets look towards the offseason.

Breece Hall's 1,000-yard season should solidify him as a key cog in the Jets' future plans

This has been something of a resurgent year for Hall. We've seen him show the elusiveness and speed that made him a prime home run threat prior to 2024's disappointment. It hasn't always been roses for the 24-year-old running back. At times, it has been a downright slog, but to his credit, he has kept churning forward, no matter what.

It might sound strange for a rebuilding team, especially one that stripped it down to the studs, to consider a running back a priority re-sign in the offseason.

However, for as much trade smoke as there was around Hall, the reports that the Jets set a third-round pick as the asking price for Hall show the rumors were merely media speculation based on conventional wisdom.

If the Jets truly were intent on moving him, they would have taken what they could have gotten and called it a day. Now, by keeping him, they have put the pressure on themselves to keep him in the fold this offseason.

That might seem like a gaffe, but it's not. Consider this: Garrett Wilson has managed just seven games this season, and last suited up on November 9. Justin Fields was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor, who then succumbed to injury. That gave way to undrafted rookie Brady Cook getting the nod as the starter the past three weeks.

Elsewhere, promising rookie tight end Mason Taylor has been out since Week 14, and without him and Wilson, there have been no consistent weapons in the passing game to speak of. That's left Hall standing alone as the team's only playmaker, and the opposition knows this week in and week out.

Yet, Hall still managed an impressive 7.9 yards per carry against the Patriots. For the season, he's produced 0.59 rushing yards over expected per attempt this season, despite facing a minimum of eight men in the box 27.27% of the time.

For large swaths of the season, Hall has been the Jets' only hope of moving the ball, yet he still has the eighth-highest PFF rushing grade this year, coming in at 83.7.

The Jets most likely will be taking a rookie quarterback at the top of the 2026 draft, and retaining Hall to provide another threat aside from Wilson, and in addition to a budding offensive line, will go a long way toward building the infrastructure necessary for the next franchise QB to succeed.

The Jets need a lot of work, but keeping Hall around for the foreseeable future will be paramount to make this iteration of the never-ending rebuild a success. It defies conventional wisdom, but it makes perfect sense.