NY Jets swap Breece Hall for All-Pro WR in shocking hypothetical trade

Breece Hall’s name has been swirling in trade speculation for months, and while nothing ultimately materialized during the 2025 NFL Draft, the chatter hasn’t gone away.

The Jets have remained noncommittal about Hall’s long-term future in New York, even after publicly downplaying trade rumors. Now, a new hypothetical scenario has reignited the conversation, and this one comes with some serious star power.

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently proposed a trade idea that would send Hall and a future second-round pick to Washington in exchange for All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin, along with running back Austin Ekeler and a Day 3 draft pick.

Of course, this is purely hypothetical. McLaurin is currently in a contract dispute with the Commanders, and Hall, while coming off a disappointing 2024 season, still holds some value.

The odds of a trade this drastic actually happening remain slim, but as hypothetical trade packages go, this one is hard to ignore. Here’s what Knox proposed and why it could make some sense for both sides.

NY Jets flip Breece Hall for Terry McLaurin in Bleacher Report trade proposal

Hall is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and while the Jets haven’t committed to trading him, they also haven’t exactly shut the door. In fact, reports indicated that the team had at least preliminary trade talks with teams in the lead-up to the 2025 NFL Draft.

While it’s unclear how far those talks progressed, it’s evident the Jets have at least explored the possibility of moving on from their former second-round pick.

After a breakout 2023 campaign that saw Hall finish top-four in the NFL in scrimmage yards, expectations were sky-high entering last season. Instead, he regressed significantly.

Despite running behind the best offensive line of his NFL career, Hall averaged a career-worst 4.2 yards per carry, tied his previous two-year fumble total in just one season (6), and led the team in drops (9).

He was mostly healthy, which makes the performance even more concerning. The team’s run game as a whole underwhelmed, but Hall’s inconsistency and ball security issues became a real problem.

As for the other side of the equation, McLaurin would be a massive get. He’s coming off a second-team All-Pro season and has quietly been one of the league’s most consistent wide receivers, topping 1,000 yards in five straight years despite a carousel of quarterbacks and uninspiring offenses.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Thursday that McLaurin is currently "frustrated with the lack of progress" on a new contract and "unexpectedly" left voluntary workouts last week.

His connection to Jets passing game coordinator Scott Turner, who was once McLaurin’s offensive coordinator in Washington, makes the fit even more intriguing.

Pairing McLaurin with Garrett Wilson would give Justin Fields one of the league’s most dynamic receiving duos and a far more favorable situation than he had in Chicago (and maybe Pittsburgh). Fields, of course, chose the Jets over a return to the Steelers, reportedly because New York offered a clearer path to start.

Still, it’s fair to wonder if McLaurin fits the Jets’ timeline. He turns 30 in September and would likely require a lucrative new deal. For a team that still needs to figure out long-term extensions for Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson, and potentially Hall himself, that’s a major financial commitment.

Finally, it’s worth pointing out a small error in the original proposal. Knox suggested the Jets would receive a 2025 fifth-round pick, but with the 2025 Draft already behind us, he likely meant 2026. By that logic, the second-round pick going to Washington would probably be a 2027 selection.

Hypothetical or not, this would be a blockbuster, and if the Jets were ever going to trade Breece Hall, this might be the type of return that makes it worth considering.

More NY Jets news and analysis: