The Denver Broncos won’t be landing New York Jets running back Breece Hall in free agency.
That news dropped on Tuesday, with the Jets officially placing the franchise tag on Hall. He’ll make a little more than $14 million in 2026 as the two sides reportedly try to work out a long-term deal.
But on Wednesday, CBS Sports insider Jonathon Jones added more context to the decision. He says New York did it specifically to block the Broncos from signing Hall to a deal next week.
“Denver is the reason why the Jets used the franchise tag on Breece Hall rather than the transition tag, according to sources, making sure Denver wouldn’t get the opportunity to put together an offer the Jets would refuse to match,” Jones reported.
That’s fascinating because former Jets GM Darren Mougey used to be an assistant GM in Denver. He had to have known that Broncos head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton coveted Hall, so he essentially blocked the move with the franchise tag.
“The Broncos are poised to make a splash at running back next week,” Jones added. “(Denver) would be an obvious landing spot for Kenneth Walker III, but the team could opt for Travis Etienne as a more affordable running back.”
As also noted on Tuesday, Walker was not tagged by the Seahawks and will be a free agent in five days. The Super Bowl MVP has to be awful tempting for Payton and Paton.
Etienne is a solid option as well, so the former Jaguars back is definitely a name to watch.
Regardless of how it all shakes out, Hall could’ve been a member of the Broncos if it weren’t for a savvy piece of business done by the Jets.