Jets' Breece Hall says he's 'second-to-none to a lot of backs'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look astatine what's happening astir the New York Jets:

1. Pivotal year: If Breece Hall needs a dose of inspiration, helium checks his phone. On the telephone is simply a quote: "If not me, past who?"

"I look astatine it each greeting and that's my interior motivation," the fourth-year moving backmost said.

Call it a small other juice.

After all, information shouldn't beryllium an contented for Hall. He's entering a declaration year, knowing his accumulation volition dictate however overmuch helium gets paid for 2026 and possibly beyond. What makes his concern compelling is that his numbers could beryllium impacted by a caller time-share successful the backfield, with first-year manager Aaron Glenn looking to get Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis much involved.

Instead of complaining, Hall is utilizing the circumstances arsenic fuel.

"I'm not [entitled] to anything," Hall said. "I'm astir a caller GM, caller coaches, a batch of caller faces. So for me, I've got to beryllium that I'm 'the guy' each day. I consciousness similar my accomplishment set, I'm a three-down backmost and second-to-none to a batch of backs successful the league.

"We person a large moving backmost room, a batch of steadfast competition, but my mentality is each time I'm going to beryllium that I'm the champion backmost connected this roster and 1 of the champion backs successful the league."

There are times erstwhile Hall looks similar an elite back. Those times were little predominant past season, a frustrating twelvemonth successful which helium posted vocation lows successful rushing yards per crippled (54.8) and yards per transportation (4.2). Some of that was due to the fact that of a pass-heavy discourtesy that catered to the whims of backmost Aaron Rodgers, though Hall acknowledged, "I didn't person a bully season."

Hall's sanction surfaced successful commercialized rumors astir the draft. It got truthful large that Glenn called Hall to enactment his caput astatine ease. According to Hall, Glenn told him, "I don't privation to commercialized you. I privation you to beryllium here. You're going to beryllium our moving back."

The Jets privation to beryllium a run-oriented offense, truthful it wouldn't person made consciousness to commercialized their astir accomplished back. It could beryllium a antithetic communicative astir the mid-season trading deadline. If they autumn retired of contention, Hall volition beryllium a premier campaigner to beryllium dealt. We already cognize however overmuch Glenn likes Allen and Davis.

"I'm excited astir each 3 of those guys, I truly am," Glenn said. "I don't cognize if determination are 3 backs successful this league that person the imaginable similar these three."

Hall acknowledged that the imaginable of a large declaration is "always a motivator," but helium should beryllium focused connected maximizing his ain ability. For each his highlight-film plays, helium has yet to ace the 1,000-yard rushing people successful a season.

"I cognize what I tin do, I cognize the imaginable I have, but imaginable volition lone spell truthful far," Hall said. "I privation to beryllium a [finished] product. I privation to beryllium capable to accidental that I've done everything I wanted to do."

2. Honeymooner: Like each coaches, Glenn volition beryllium judged connected wins and losses successful the fall, but it's not a agelong to accidental helium won the offseason. The first-year manager captured the attraction of the players (91% attendance complaint for voluntary workouts, per Glenn), raising the strength level connected and disconnected the field.

From a messaging standpoint, Glenn sounds a batch similar his mentor, Bill Parcells. He explains the "why" and "how" to players -- i.e. however they privation to run arsenic a squad -- and he's large into team-building philosophy. He stresses situational shot and carnal play, noting determination volition beryllium much unrecorded tackling successful grooming campy than before.

Glenn besides is simply a believer successful one-on-one conversations, arsenic respective players mentioned they've had backstage clip with the coach. That's thing helium learned from Parcells: Before you tin propulsion a player's buttons, you indispensable cognize what makes him tick.

3. Change of pace: Glenn is trying to navigate that delicate equilibrium betwixt disciplinarian and players' coach. Some tin bash it; galore can't. Toward that end, helium lightened the temper successful the last minicamp practice, conducting a pass-catching drill for the violative linemen. That made for a fewer laughs.

"I cognize erstwhile to push, I cognize erstwhile to clasp back, and I bash cognize erstwhile it's clip to person a small fun," Glenn said.

4. Aaron who? From the infinitesimal helium was introduced astatine his quality league successful January, Glenn has made it wide helium has nary involvement successful engaging successful speech astir Rodgers. When asked astir the Jets' erstwhile starter, whom helium released successful February, Glenn usually responds with a clipped answer.

Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are coming to MetLife Stadium for the play opener. It's a immense story. Asked astir the situation of facing the aboriginal Hall of Famer, Glenn replied with this canned answer: "We person 17 truly bully games that we person to play, and I'm looking guardant to playing each 1 of them."

Sounds similar a manager who doesn't privation his squad to beryllium swept up successful the Rodgers angle, creating a imaginable distraction.

5. Post-minicamp takeaways: The three-day minicamp wrapped up Thursday. A fewer quickie observations:

• It's casual to spot wherefore they fell successful emotion with backmost Justin Fields successful escaped bureau -- the earthy endowment is determination -- but helium needs to beryllium much accordant connected a series-to-series basis.

• Josh Reynolds is the clear-cut favourite for the WR2 job, up of Allen Lazard, whose sanction volition proceed to circulate successful commercialized rumors present that Rodgers has landed with the Steelers. If the Jets determine to determination Lazard -- a large if -- it astir apt wouldn't beryllium until the extremity of the preseason. But lone if they're comfy with their receiver depth.

• The consciousness is that the conflict astatine halfway (Joe Tippmann vs. Josh Myers) volition proceed into grooming camp. One affirmative for the violative line: The starters got plentifulness of enactment unneurotic successful the spring. It's a departure from past year, erstwhile injuries/veteran remainder were factors.

• Depth should beryllium a interest connected each 3 levels of the defense, particularly astatine borderline rusher. There's a large driblet disconnected aft Will McDonald IV, Jermaine Johnson and Micheal Clemons. Get acceptable to spot a batch of blitzing.

6. Saving up for a splurge (or two): The Jets are successful premier presumption for big-money declaration extensions -- i.e. Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson. They person the lowest currency payroll successful league ($228 million) and fourth-largest magnitude of headdress abstraction ($38 million), per Roster Management System. It would beryllium a astonishment if they don't get astatine slightest 1 woody done by the commencement of the season.

7. Family ties: Discussing his ongoing declaration negotiations, Gardner mentioned his "team." It's not your emblematic squad of agents due to the fact that it includes idiosyncratic he's known his full beingness -- his large brother, Allante.

Allante isn't a certified cause yet, but he's the vice president of Vayner Sports, the steadfast that represents Gardner. Co-founder A.J. Vaynerchuk is handling the existent negotiations, with Gardner moving down the scenes. He knows football; helium played astatine Saginaw Valley State and Lakeland University.

8. Couching it: Defensive extremity Jermaine Johnson is grateful that the enactment exercised his fifth-year option, guaranteeing his wage ($13.4 million) for 2026. There was immoderate hazard involved, considering helium ruptured his Achilles successful Week 2. The caller authorities based its determination mostly connected his 2023 show (7.5 sacks).

"To me, that's them lifting their extremity of the couch," Johnson said. "And present it's my crook to assistance my extremity of the couch."

Johnson is expected to beryllium acceptable for Week 1.

9. Still leading: Former skipper C.J. Mosley was released successful March, but helium inactive spends clip successful New Jersey and keeps successful interaction with erstwhile teammates. Both Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood, Mosley's replacement astatine mediate linebacker, said they thin connected him for enactment advice. Williams precocious had luncheon with Mosley.

"There's decidedly a spread successful the partition without him," Sherwood said.

10. The Last Word: "I deliberation it's going to beryllium fun. There's going to beryllium a batch of smiling retired there, a batch of competing retired there. I'm looking guardant to it." -- Gardner connected facing Rodgers successful Week 1.