The franchise and transition tag deadline is upon us.
But Breece Hall and the Jets still have not agreed to a long-term contract.
The Jets will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to place either the franchise or transition tag on the running back. Jets general manager Darren Mougey plans to use the transition tag if they cannot sign Hall to a long-term deal by the deadline, according to sources.
If the Jets place the transition tag on Hall, they would have the right to first refusal to match any offer from another team. However, the Jets would not receive any compensation if Hall were to leave for another team.
The transition tag tender for 2026 would be $11.3 million for Hall. Any negotiation for a new Hall contract will likely start around that number per year. Bills running back James Cook signed a four-year, $48 million contract with $30 million guaranteed before the start of last season. If Hall can get around an average of $11.3 million per season, that would place him seventh just after Cook on average annual value (AAV).
With the uncertainty at the quarterback position, retaining Hall, 24, is a high priority for the Jets. He is coming off the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career. Hall also finished with five total touchdowns and 36 receptions for 350 yards.
If the Jets place the transition tag on Hall, both sides would have until July 22 to agree to a longer-term contract. If no long-term deal is reached by that date, Hall must play on the one-year tender.
Murray an option for the Jets?
It appears Kyler Murray and the Cardinals are headed for a divorce.
Barring a surprise last-minute trade, Murray will be released, according to multiple reports. He would be owed $19.5 million guaranteed in the form of a 2027 roster bonus if Murray remains on the Cardinals roster before the fifth day (March 16) of the new league year. If Murray were to be released with a post-June 1 designation, Arizona would take on $47.5 million in dead cap this year, $7.2 million in dead cap next year, and save $5.1 million in 2026 per Spotrac.
Murray, 28, missed the last 12 games of the 2025 regular season due to a foot injury. He completed 68.3% of his passes for 962 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions while turning 29 carries into 173 yards and a touchdown in five games.
The question is, would Murray be a fit with the Jets? Since tearing his ACL in 2022, Murray has been a shell of the player he once was. The 2018 Heisman winner out of Oklahoma has played in just 30 of the 51 possible games over the past three seasons due to multiple injuries. During that span, Murray has thrown for 6,612 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions while completing 67.8% of his passes.
Murray has also seen his maturity, vocal presence, and study habits questioned while with the Cardinals. In a critical year for Mougey and Jets coach Aaron Glenn, do they want to take a swing on a quarterback with questions both on and off the field?
Other possible quarterback targets for the Jets could include Eagles backup Tanner McKee, Panthers backup Andy Dalton, and Saints backup Spencer Rattler. Don’t be surprised if the Jets add two veteran quarterbacks, much like the Giants did last offseason when they signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston while also drafting Jaxson Dart.
Could Simpson be a young QB option in addition to adding veterans?
The Jets will have four picks in the top 44 of the NFL Draft.
Given their need for a franchise quarterback, many may believe they could select one.
But that is not necessarily the case. However, Ty Simpson, whom the Jets met with at the NFL Scouting Combine, is an intriguing prospect who could be a first-round pick.
“It was great, just talking ball, getting to know each other,” Simpson said. “Coach [Frank] Reich is a great, great human being. Coach Glenn is a super juiceful guy, installing some stuff, and getting to know each other, and just getting on the board, it’s what I like.
So I really, really love the Jets, really, really blessed to be able to have a meeting with them, and if I have an opportunity to play in New York, like I said, they’re gonna get the best Ty Simpson they can get.”
At second overall, the expectation is the Jets will draft either Ohio State linebacker/edge Arvell Reese or Texas Tech linebacker David Bailey. But the Jets also have the 16th overall pick after trading Sauce Gardner to the Colts last November.
Simpson is a highly accurate quarterback with poise and excellent pocket awareness. He established himself as an elite quarterback for the Crimson Tide during the first eight games of last season. He passed for 2,184 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just one interception during that span and led Alabama on an eight-game winning streak.
But Simpson’s play declined significantly in his final six games. He finished with 1,106 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions while the Crimson Tide finished 3-3 in those games.
What hurts Simpson outside of that rough six-game stretch is his limited body of work. He made just 15 starts in four seasons at Alabama while backing up first Bryce Young and later Jalen Milroe. The list of recent quarterbacks with less than 20 career college starts is not encouraging: Anthony Richardson (13 starts), Trey Lance (17 starts), Mac Jones (17 starts), and Mitch Trubisky (13 starts).
“First off, I feel like I’m ready,” Simpson said about his limited experience. “I’m a franchise quarterback. Alabama prepares you most for the NFL, and with the infrastructure that they had, and the guidance from Coach [Nick] Saban, Coach [Kalen] DeBoer, Coach [Ryan] Grubb, all the coordinators that I had before. I run an NFL-type system, and it’s definitely prepared me for saying those long play calls, saying those checks, making sure that I get us in the right protection.
“Also as well, everybody talks about my stars, but I played in other games besides that, and I played against really good NFL players. There’s a number of first- and second-round draft picks that I went against and who I was in the locker room with. So like I said, the Alabama locker room was as close as a locker room in the NFL as you can get.”
