Breece Hall: Stats, Contract, and 2026 Fantasy Outlook

Breece Hall — Jets Running Back, Career Stats, and What to Expect in 2026

Football Was Already in His Blood

Breece Hall was born May 31, 2001, in Omaha, Nebraska. He’s 24 years old heading into the 2026 season. That’s worth mentioning upfront because age is one of the most important numbers in evaluating a running back, and Hall’s is still very good.

His path to the NFL wasn’t random. His father, Bernard Hall, played college football at Oklahoma and spent time in the Arena Football League. His stepfather, Jeff Smith, played four seasons in the NFL with the Chiefs and Buccaneers. His cousin, Kenton Keith, played briefly with the Jets in 2004 — the same franchise that would eventually draft Breece — and later spent six seasons in the CFL. So when Hall showed up to Iowa State as a freshman, he already understood what professional football looked like from the inside.

He’s listed at 5-foot-11, 217 pounds. That’s ideal RB size — heavy enough to absorb punishment between the tackles, light enough to run past safeties in space. At the 2022 NFL Combine, he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, which put him among the top marks at his position that year. You can see it on tape: Hall doesn’t just outwork defenders, he outruns them.

Three Years at Iowa State Built the Case

Hall played for the Iowa State Cyclones from 2019 through 2021. By his junior year he had become one of the most productive running backs in college football, regardless of conference.

In 2021 alone he finished with 1,472 rushing yards, 302 receiving yards, and 23 total touchdowns. He had five career touchdown runs of 75 yards or more. That’s not just a volume stat — it means his top-end speed was genuinely dangerous, not just solid. Iowa State isn’t historically a program that produces first-round skill players, so Hall’s numbers came against defenses that were specifically scheming to stop him.

He earned two consecutive consensus All-American honors in 2020 and 2021, and won the Gary Thompson Award as Iowa State’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2022. He also caught 82 passes across his three college seasons — evidence that he could contribute in the passing game, not just line up and run between the tackles.

After his junior year, he declared for the draft. It was the right call.

Year-by-Year College Stats

The 2022 Draft and a Brutal Rookie Ending

Hall was the first running back selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, going 36th overall to the New York Jets. The Jets traded up from 38th to 36th — they gave up a fifth-round pick and a future second — to make sure they got him ahead of anyone else.

He repaid that investment immediately. By Week 5 against the Dolphins, he put up 97 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game. The Jets won 40–17. In Week 6 against the Packers, he ran 20 times for 116 yards and a touchdown and won FedEx Ground Player of the Week. He was doing everything a rookie RB should do.

Week 7 against the Denver Broncos ended it. Hall tore his ACL and meniscus in the second quarter of a 16–9 Jets win. He was placed on injured reserve on October 25, 2022. Gone for the season.

At the pace he was playing, the projection math on a full rookie season was alarming in the best way. His shortened 2022 still showed enough to confirm what scouts had seen at Iowa State — he belonged.

NFL Career Stats by Season

The 2025 season was the first time Hall eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards. That’s a little strange for a player this talented, but the reasons aren’t hard to find — and they’re almost entirely about the offense around him rather than Hall himself.

Coming Back from the ACL

Hall spent the entire 2022 season on injured reserve and was placed on the PUP list at the start of 2023 training camp. He was activated August 15, 2023. That gave him roughly nine months from injury to regular-season return — which is actually on the faster side for an ACL plus meniscus repair.

The first game back told you everything you needed to know about his recovery. Week 1 of the 2023 season, Monday Night Football, against the Buffalo Bills. Hall ran for 127 yards, including an 83-yard run that he made look effortless. He was gone before the Buffalo defense knew he was through the line.

His burst and top speed were intact. In Week 5 that season against the Broncos, he hit a 72-yard touchdown run. In Week 16 against Washington, he had 191 scrimmage yards. In the final game of the year against New England, he carried the ball 37 times for 178 yards.

Three seasons after the injury, his career average yards per carry sits at 4.8. Among running backs with at least 200 carries since 2023, he ranks 7th in avoided tackles — meaning he’s still making defenders miss at an elite rate. The ACL didn’t take that away from him.

What Kind of Runner He Actually Is

Hall is what scouts call a complete back. That phrase gets overused, but in his case the evidence supports it.

He reads blocks patiently, which is rarer than it sounds at the NFL level. A lot of fast backs try to outrun the play — Hall lets the blocking develop, which is why his cut-back runs tend to go for more yards than his initial gap allowed. His 4.39 combine speed is genuine, not just a workout number. He’s had nine runs of 20-plus yards in 2025 alone, with eight of those hitting at least 20 and two reaching 40.

PFF graded him at 83.5 overall in 2025, ranking him 7th among 55 qualified running backs. His rushing-specific grade was 83.7, 11th at the position. He forced 40 missed tackles as a runner and averaged 3.0 yards after contact per attempt. Those contact numbers matter because the Jets’ offensive line has not been good — most of his yardage has come after absorbing initial contact rather than running through clean lanes.

As a receiver, his 2023 season remains the benchmark: 76 catches for 591 yards and four touchdowns on 95 targets. By 2025 that had dropped to 36 catches on 48 targets. The Jets used him less in the passing game as the offense changed around him, not because his hands or routes got worse. When they did throw to him, he averaged 9.7 yards per reception and had two catches go for 40-plus yards.

The Jets Problem — and Why It’s Not His Fault

This is where honest analysis matters. Hall has handled 66% of the Jets’ rushing attempts and played 64% of their offensive snaps over the past two seasons. He’s been the centerpiece. The problem is the frame around him.

Since 2022, Hall has played behind arguably one of the worst collections of offensive situations an elite running back has faced. The quarterback carousel — Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers (for four snaps), Tyrod Taylor, Brady Cook — has made sustained drives nearly impossible, which directly kills touchdown opportunities. Hall has averaged just 0.3 goal-line carries per game since 2023. That’s not a scheme preference. That’s a team that doesn’t get to the goal line enough to give him those reps.

He’s scored a rushing touchdown every 48 carries over the past three seasons, which ranks among the ten worst rates among qualified rushers. Meanwhile, his efficiency numbers — YPC, avoided tackles, PFF grade — are all top-15 at his position. The gap between his efficiency and his scoring tells you everything about his situation.

In 2026, the Jets have brought in Geno Smith at quarterback and added Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper through the draft. That’s an upgrade from Brady Cook and Tyrod Taylor, though calling Geno Smith a game-changing addition would be overstating it. The offensive environment is getting better. It may not be good.

The Contract — What He Signed and What It Means

In early March 2026, the Jets placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Hall. The one-year value was $14.29 million, fully guaranteed. That tag allowed him to negotiate with other teams — reports linked the Cardinals and Chiefs as potential suitors — though any team signing him would have owed the Jets two first-round picks as compensation, which made actual movement unlikely.

General manager Darren Mougey said at the Combine that the franchise tag was meant to continue extension talks, not end them. It took until May 2026, but the two sides reached agreement on a three-year extension worth $45.75 million — an average annual value of $15.25 million.

That AAV makes him the third-highest-paid running back in the NFL, behind Saquon Barkley at $20.6 million with the Eagles and Christian McCaffrey at $19 million with the 49ers. He’s ahead of Derrick Henry and James Cook on the salary chart.

Whether that’s the right price is a reasonable debate. Hall has never had a 1,500-yard season. He’s never exceeded five rushing touchdowns. By traditional running back metrics, he looks like an expensive RB2. But those limitations are mostly situational — and Mougey clearly believes the situation is about to improve.

How He Compares to the Top Running Backs Right Now

His PFF grade places him legitimately among that group. The rushing yards and touchdown totals lag because of context, not talent. The salary puts him in that tier whether his numbers look like it or not — and the Jets are betting that with better QB play and red zone opportunities, they will.

Fantasy Football Value in 2026 — Redraft and Dynasty

Hall currently sits around RB16 in consensus fantasy rankings heading into 2026, with an ADP in the third round of most drafts (around pick 36 overall). That’s where the honest disagreement lives.

The case for drafting him: elite workload share, age-prime production, 1,400-plus scrimmage yards in three straight seasons, improved offensive situation, a contract that guarantees he’s the Jets’ starter. He’s 24. He’s healthy. He’s efficient.

The case against: touchdown scarcity is structural and may not fully resolve even with Geno Smith. His receiving usage has dropped from 95 targets in 2023 to 48 in 2025, which limits his PPR ceiling. Sports Illustrated called his third-round ADP “risky” given those factors. FantasyLife pegged him as a “solid RB2” — which at a third-round price is not the league-winning upside most managers want.

For dynasty: at 24 with three healthy post-ACL seasons and now a locked-in contract, Hall’s dynasty floor is genuinely solid. The Jets hold three first-round picks in the 2027 draft, which they’re expected to use to finally address the quarterback situation. If that works, the back-end value of Hall’s dynasty profile could look very different by 2027 than it does right now. His youth and efficiency make him worth holding. Whether he’s worth paying up for depends entirely on how much you believe in the Jets’ rebuild timeline.

A realistic 2026 projection if the Jets offense takes a step forward: 270 carries, 1,200 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns, 50 receptions, 420 receiving yards. That’s a top-10 fantasy finish. If the offense stagnates again, he’ll probably finish RB18–22. The range is real.

What Hall Has Said, and What 2026 Looks Like on Paper

Hall has been public about his frustration with the Jets organization — specifically with the previous ownership under Woody Johnson — and public about his excitement for the current direction under Mougey. He’s described the 2026 season as a career-year opportunity. That’s not just agent-speak. He’s in his athletic prime, locked in at a team that just invested $45.75 million in him, with a new quarterback and a front office that has publicly committed to rebuilding the offense around him.

The variables are real. Geno Smith is 35 years old. The Jets have missed on offensive improvements before. Red zone opportunities depend on game flow and the rest of the offense working, which is never guaranteed. Hall has done his part consistently — 4.8 career yards per carry, 40 missed tackles forced last season, top-10 PFF grades. The piece he’s been missing is a functioning team around him.

He turns 25 at the end of May. Running backs peak between 24 and 27, with outliers running a few years past that. By age, Hall is entering the window where his best football should happen. Whether the Jets can build enough around him to let it show up in the stat line is the only open question. His talent isn’t one of them.