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The latest report from a Jets insider named the Arizona Cardinals as a potential destination for Breece Hall.
The Arizona Cardinals have an important first offseason under new head coach Mike LaFleur. The biggest moves will come in March, when free agency begins. One such free agent has been linked to the Cardinals, with Rich Cimini linking running back Breece Hall to Arizona.
Cimini, who covers the New York Jets for ESPN, published a report on five of their key free agents. Hall came at the top of the list, as the Jets will try to keep their ground game functional while they break in a new quarterback.
Cimini believes that a transition tag, valued at $11.7 million, is a more likely move than the franchise tag ($14.5 million). The transition tag would save the Jets close to $3 million compared to the franchise tag, but it opens up Hall to negotiate with other teams.
One such team that Cimini links as a potential free-agent destination is the Cardinals. When the Jets drafted Hall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, LaFleur was the offensive coordinator.
It will be interesting to see what the Jets do with their starting running back and his impending free agency. He’s coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season in 2025. He’s a tag candidate, and the type of tag may determine how serious the Jets are at keeping him.
Anything short of the franchise tag, and the Cardinals could have a great opportunity to upgrade their running back room.
Why the Cardinals Might be Interested in Breece Hall
Injuries took out the Cardinals’ top two running backs for much of the 2025 season. Lead back James Conner missed the final 14 games of the season after a foot injury that necessitated surgery. He’s a cap casualty, as Arizona could move on to create $7.58 million in cap space.
If the Cardinals release Conner, they’ll need a new lead back for their offense. Fortunately for Arizona, it’s a deep free-agent class for running backs. In addition to Hall, other running backs who could hit the open market include Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne Jr., Rico Dowdle, and Isiah Pachecho. That should allow the Cardinals to replace Conner in 2026 without negatively impacting their cap too much.
Cimini makes the obvious link between Hall and LaFleur. The latter was the Jets’ offensive coordinator in the former’s rookie season. A torn ACL in his left knee cut Hall’s rookie season short, as he rushed for 463 yards and four touchdowns on 80 carries. Since returning from that injury, he’s started 48 of a possible 51 games.
In addition to being a solid runner, Hall adds a receiving element to the offense. In the past three seasons, he’s caught 169 passes for 1,424 yards and eight touchdowns. That gives LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett a true three-down back to build their offense around. Hackett also worked with Hall in his two years as the offensive coordinator.
With a big change at quarterback looming, they must have the necessary talent to support their new signal caller. The best place to start is improving their rushing attack, to keep the offense in manageable second and third-down situations.
Cardinals Running Back Room Entering Free Agency
Conner is almost certain to be cut given his age (30), injury, and cap hit. For $7.58 million of cap space, the Cardinals can easily replace him with a younger, healthier player.
However, the rest of their running back room is in total flux. Like Conner, Trey Benson missed most of the 2025 season due to injuries. He suffered a meniscus tear in the Cardinals’ Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and was placed on injured reserve. While the team restarted his 21-day practice window in November, Benson never returned to action.
Benson is still on a rookie contract, accounting for a manageable $1.65 million cap hit. The speedy back is still a capable complementary option to whoever the Cardinals replace Conner with. But his future on the team could become more uncertain if general manager Monti Ossenfort drafts another running back high.
The other backs to get significant carries include Emari Demercado, Michael Carter, and Zonovan Knight. All three are free agents of differing classes. Carter is an unrestricted free agent, Demercado restricted, and Knight exclusive rights. None of the three will make a significant impact on the Cardinals’ offseason plans.
The Cardinals will have an opportunity to reshape their running back room in 2026. Hall is one route they can go, but it will be interesting to see what actions Ossenfort takes to address a big offensive need.
Michael McDermott Michael McDermott is a writer at Heavy Sports covering the Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball. Michael has 10 years experience writing about the D-backs and their farm system for AZ Snake Pit, Burn City Sports, and Diamondbacks On SI. More about Michael McDermott
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