The New York Jets could and should trade running back Breece Hall before the deadline passes on Nov. 4.
The Jets are in the midst of a rebuild and need more draft assets, and Hall is in the final year of his contract and could leave for nothing next offseason.
New York could decide to extend Hall, but that wouldn't be a prudent move given the fact that the team has so many needs to address up and down the roster.
While it's obvious trading Hall is the right move, there continues to be skepticism that the Jets will actually do it. The latest example of that comes from ESPN's Dan Graziano, who notes that some inside the Jets' building want to keep Hall.
"This one felt like a slam dunk for most of the season, but it has started to sound a little murkier over the past week. Hall is not under contract for next season, and the Jets have a pair of young running backs they like in Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis," Graziano writes. "But Allen is out for the season with an injury, and there are people in the Jets building who are leery of the idea of trading Hall, who showed Sunday that he can still be a dynamic threat and a key element of their offense."
However, Graziano adds that, if the Jets get the right return, "they would probably take it" and move Hall at the deadline, but again reiterates it's no sure thing.
"The fact is, there's a price for almost everything, and if a team gives the Jets a strong enough offer for Hall, they would probably take it," Graziano said. "But a couple of weeks ago, I would have expected them to deal Hall just to get something in return before he left as a free agent. Now, it feels more possible that they consider bringing Hall back next season, in which case they might be more hesitant to trade him now."
"The Jets are on bye following their first win of the season, and they have a lot of decisions to make with teams interested in many of their players," he adds. "This is a long way of saying Hall's chances of being dealt could go either way, but my sense is that it's no longer a sure thing."
Of course, this could all be posturing by the Jets as they look to maximize their return for Hall, who is sure to draw plenty of interest if he's on the trade block.
After all, if it's known that the Jets are dead set on trading Hall, that won't help them get the best return possible.
It's true that trading Hall would leave the Jets extremely short at running back after the Braelon Allen injury, but it's not like keeping Hall is going to change the Jets' fortunes.
New York should trade Hall now and get what they can before he possibly leaves in free agency in 2026, which seems more likely to happen than not because Hall could be seeking to escape the dumpster fire he has been stuck in for four years.
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