The New Orleans Saints are going to be linked to just about every offensive playmaker this offseason, especially as they look for ways to retool and put talent around Tyler Shough, who showed me a lot during the late part of the season.
That includes the running back position, and it could have an impact on the New York Jets.
One name that keeps popping up in rumors is a familiar one to Jets fans.
John Sigler of Saints Wire recently floated Breece Hall as a potential free-agency target for the Saints, stating that he’s the type of difference-maker who could immediately upgrade an offense searching for help.
“Breece Hall. Hall, 24, is probably going to be the most coveted rusher on the market. Given his age, big-play ability, and consistent production behind a series of bad offensive lines, he should be seen as a plug-and-play starter for half the league,” Sigler wrote. “Given how few running backs expect to be drafted early in April, the bidding for Hall in March could get intense.”
Hall has shown he can carry an offense, one of the worst the NFL has ever seen, make chunk plays on his own, and contribute heavily in the run and pass game.
That said, I’d be genuinely surprised if it ever gets to the point that the Jets lose him.
The Jets have every reason to keep Hall in the building and by not trading him at the deadline, it’d be questionable not to give him what he wants.
Even in a league that doesn’t love to pay running backs, Hall is the type of player the Jets should figure something out with.
From the Saints’ angle, the interest makes a lot of sense.
However, getting him to sign away from the Jets would likely require a contract that New York would be uncomfortable giving out, which could be a possibility given how the Saints have had to deal with cap situations in recent years and trying to fix things for the short and long-term.
For the Jets, they’ll have to worry about a lot more teams than the Saints, unless they get a deal done early.