The offseason has arrived for the Jets.
Following one of the franchise’s worst seasons, Gang Green will have several critical decisions to make this offseason.
Two of the biggest involve running back Breece Hall and the selection of their defensive coordinator.
Hall, who is one of the best players on the roster, is scheduled to test free agency at the start of the NFL’s new league year starts on March 11. During Tuesday’s end-of-season press conference, Jets general manager Darren Mougey was asked if he wants the fourth-year player back in 2026.
“Breece is a good player,” Mougey said. “I want as many good players back as we can.
“I met with Breece yesterday, had a lot of good conversations. So, we’ll go through this process and we’ll see how free agency unfolds, but we want to add good players.”
When asked whether the Jets could contemplate using the franchise or transition tag to retain Hall, Mougey declined to answer.
“I won’t get into hypotheticals and contracts, or anything like that, but we’ll exhaust all the different options and see where that ends up,” he said.
In a year in which the Jets offense struggled mightily — 29th in yards (263.6 per game) and points scored (17.6 ppg) — Hall was one of the few bright spots. He crossed the 1,000-yard threshold for the first time in his career, rushing for 1,065 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games.
Hall became the first Jets running back since Chris Ivory in 2015 to hit the mark.
He sat out the Jets’ season finale loss to the Bills because of a knee injury.
Since last year’s NFL Draft, there has been speculation about Hall’s future with the team. At the time there were rumors that Hall would welcome a fresh start and a trade. The Jets dealt Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, but held onto Hall despite a 1-7 start and being in rebuild mode.
With a new quarterback likely under center in 2026, the Jets will have to weigh whether it’s worth keeping Hall on a long-term deal. Justin Fields, whom the Jets signed to a two-year, $40 million contract last March, is expected to be released this offseason. He was benched after a 2-9 record as starter.
If the Jets let Hall walk in free agency, that would be another offensive starter they would need to replace. In addition to a new QB, the Jets will likely look for multiple receivers and maybe a new left guard, depending on whether they re-sign John Simpson or Alijah Vera-Tucker, who are both scheduled to be free agents.
If the Jets don’t extend Hall to a long-term deal, they could use the franchise or transition tag to keep him from hitting free agency. If a player is tagged, they receive a one-year tender.
The franchise tag tender is projected to be $14.1 million for a running back. If the Jets wanted to use the transition tag, that would cost them a projected $11.4 million. The transition tag works similarly to the nonexclusive franchise tag, except it would give the Jets the right to match another team’s offer.
In addition to the decision to keep Hall, the Jets are also searching for a new defensive coordinator after firing Steve Wilks following a Week 15 loss to the Jaguars. Jets coach Aaron Glenn said he will meet with the staff in the coming days and then begin his evaluation process.
Chris Harris served as the Jets’ interim defensive coordinator for the final three games, but the results were less than ideal. Not only did the Jets lose all three games, but they were outscored 106-24 during that span.
“I want to make sure that whoever the guy that we do have in, that there’s a lot of synergy between me and that coach,” Glenn said about what he’s looking for in a defensive coordinator. “And I’m not saying there wasn’t synergy between me and Wilks, it’s just I want to make sure, as I go through this process, that that’s not a step that I don’t miss.
“It will be a number of coaches that we will take a look at, and Moug will be a huge part of that because I do respect his opinion and he has a good eye just for talent in general. I want to make sure that it’s collaborative between all of us, and we just want to get the best guy.”
