Breece Hall opens up about the ‘serious’ knee injury behind his 2024 struggles

New York Jets running back Breece Hall didn’t look like himself for most of the 2024 season. Now, we finally have a little more clarity as to why.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hall revealed that the knee injury he played through last season was “pretty serious,” an issue that quietly lingered from mid-November through the end of the year.

Hall missed just one game with the injury, but it turns out the damage was worse than previously known. The injury, which occurred in a Week 11 matchup with the Colts, affected the same left knee he had surgery on in 2022 to repair a torn ACL.

Hall says he’s healthy now and confirmed that he didn’t require any procedure or operation this time around. That’s encouraging, but it doesn’t change the fact that 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the former second-round pick.

Breece Hall is fighting for his NY Jets future in 2025

Hall’s injury revelation helps explain some of what went wrong last year. After looking like one of the league’s most dynamic backs in 2023, Hall regressed in almost every area in 2024.

His efficiency plummeted, his explosiveness dipped, and he simply didn’t have the same burst, something that now makes more sense knowing he was nursing the same knee he’d previously injured. Still, while the injury may have limited his effectiveness, it doesn’t excuse everything.

The most concerning part of Hall’s 2024 season wasn’t his lack of big plays — it was his inability to protect the football. Hall fumbled six times, doubling his career total in just one season, and led the team with nine drops.

That kind of ball security lapse can’t be chalked up to an injured knee. In the NFL, the fastest way for a running back to lose their job is to keep putting the ball on the ground.

That’s part of what makes 2025 such a defining year for Hall. He’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, and his long-term future with the Jets is far from certain. The team spent draft capital on Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis last year, and both showed flashes as rookies.

New head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand are expected to implement a more balanced, run-heavy scheme.

That's vastly different from the offense the team ran last year, when the Jets ranked dead last in rushing attempts thanks in large part to Aaron Rodgers' preferences. The opportunity will be there. The question is whether Hall can capitalize on it.

There’s reason for optimism. Hall says he’s healthy, he avoided surgery, and he’ll be running behind what could be the best offensive line of his career.

If he can regain his 2023 form, when he finished fourth in the league in scrimmage yards despite a dysfunctional offense, he can still be a centerpiece of this team’s future.

But after a rocky 2024 and increased competition in the backfield, he has a lot to prove. This season might be his last chance to do it in green and white.

More NY Jets news and analysis: