The New York Jets may have quietly gone full Jalen Brunson and given the New York Giants the assist of the year.
When they slapped the franchise tag on Breece Hall for $14.293 million on Tuesday, they planted a giant price tag right in the middle of the running back market... one the G-Men have been not-so-subtly perusing.
Because if Hall is worth $14 million under the tag, imagine what the reigning Super Bowl LX MVP is about to ask for.
Breec Hall franchise tag may have saved Giants from Kenneth Walker spending spree
For a minute there, the Kenneth Walker III to New York whispers were actually starting to feel pretty real. And after Seattle didn't tag him, they only grew louder.
New head coach John Harbaugh has made it clear he wants a more physical offense. A run-heavy system with a true lead back fits his vision perfectly, and Walker is coming off one of the most electric playoff runs for a running back, doing his best 2024 Saquon Barkley impression. His 313 rushing yards and four touchdowns in three games will have plenty of GMs reaching for their wallets this offseason.
But the J-E-T-S may have just poured C-O-L-D water on that entire plan.
Hall’s $14.293 million tag instantly becomes the new reference point for the position this offseason. You can bet that agents took notice. And so did the players. Spotrac estimates the 25-year-old’s market value at roughly four years and $36 million. After the Hall deal, that $9M AAV looks borderline comical now. Think $14M as the floor in contract talks.
That’s where things get simultaneously tricky and easy for Big Blue.
This roster still has holes, and the team doesn’t exactly have cap space burning a hole in its pocket. Committing a huge chunk of money to one running back suddenly looks a lot weirder when you remember that New York already has Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. on the roster.
Related: Giants’ puzzling offseason behavior is turning up pressure on Cam Skattebo
Neither one is a sure thing yet -- although Skatt showed flashes as a rookie -- but both are young and cheap and good, which matters a heck of a lot more, especially when you’re trying to build around a quarterback on a rookie deal.
Walker is the biggest prize in this year’s running back market. No one’s debating that.
But thanks to the Jets dropping a $14 million benchmark on the position, the Giants may have just been saved from chasing a fever dream that was always going to cost more than it should... in more ways than one.