Breece Hall Staying Focused Despite Running Back Paydays Around Him

Running backs James Cook and Kyren Williams recently secured big contract extensions, but New York Jets star Breece Hall is not worried about his own payday just yet.

“They’ve done much more in the league than I have,” Hall said on Wednesday about Cook and Williams, via the New York Daily News. “They’ve been in better situations, and they are both very good players. For me, I feel like I’m just as talented as anyone, but those guys are two really good running backs, and they deserve their payday, and I’m happy for them.”

Hall has yet to hit the 1,000-yard mark, falling just six yards short in 2023 and generating 876 yards and five touchdowns on 209 carries in 2024. His 54.8 rush yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry last season were career lows. Meanwhile, Williams and Cook each surpassed 1,000 yards in both 2023 and 2024.

It is not just running backs cashing in for Hall. The Jets have already paid big money to cornerback Sauce Gardner and receiver Garrett Wilson, both part of Hall’s draft class, as the team builds under the new coaching staff.

Even coming off a slightly down season, Hall remains a major playmaker. He led the Jets with 1,359 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in 2024, and his 5.5 yards per touch since 2022 ranks fifth among running backs with at least 300 touches, according to NFL Research.

Much of the offseason focus for Hall has been about his role in the new offense under coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Engstrand is aiming to get the home-run threat more touches in space, particularly in the passing game. Hall, however, downplayed any major changes to his usage.

“I think people try to make a skewed version of the truth of it changing,” Hall said. “I’ve always been able to catch the ball. I’ve always been a receiving threat. I just feel like last season, stuff does not always work out how you expect it to. I’ve said this before, when you are one of the better players on the team or one of the faces of the team, when stuff does not go well all the time, you are at the forefront. For me, nothing has changed. I am still the same threat that I have always been.”

If Hall can break out under Engstrand this season, a big payday will follow eventually.