The Seattle Seahawks may have missed out on the chance to find a veteran replacement for Kenneth Walker III after his departure.
The Seahawks used a first-round draft pick on Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price, but had been named as a potential trade destination for New York Jets running back Breece Hall. That went up in smoke on Friday, when the Jets agreed to a record contract to keep their running back.
Breece Hall Returning to the Jets
The Jets had already used the franchise tag on Hall, but gave him a long-term deal on Friday. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Jets made a significant commitment to their versatile running back.
“The #Jets and star RB Breece Hall have a deal, extending him long-term rather than have him play on the tag,” Rapoport wrote in a post on X. “It’s a 3-year, $45.75M deal worth $15.25M per year done by agent @AgentNicoleLynn of @KlutchSports”
Before the contract extension was signed, it was unclear whether the Jets would keep Hall through the team’s upcoming rebuild. SI.com’s Michael Hanich suggested the Jets could still mov on from Hall after giving him the franchise tag for the 2026 season.
“Hall’s trade value would be incredibly high for the Jets to depart from the 1,000-yard rusher, even without a new deal in place,” Hanich wrote. “The Jets will likely ask for the Seahawks’ first-round pick (No. 32) or a second-round pick and a veteran on an expiring contract. If the Seahawks don’t value the top of the 2026 NFL Draft class as analysts do, they might consider the trade.”
Hanich added that the Seahawks would need to make a significant financial commitment to Hall, which was not that likely after the team decided to pass on paying Walker.
“It’s going to take some reflection from the front office to decide if they want to give a running back like Hall a $14-to-$15 million annual deal if they weren’t willing to give it to Kenneth Walker III,” Hanich wrote. “Walker reportedly didn’t want to return for other reasons. There are some differences between Hall and Walker, however.”
Seahawks Happy With Jadarian Price
The Seahawks are counting on Price to help make up for Walker’s production. General manager John Schneider told reporters that they were happy Price fell to them with the No. 32 overall pick and expected him to take on a big role.
“Great player, great person,” Schneider said on April 23. “We thought we had some opportunities for a minute. It fell apart. There’s a lot of trading going on there right ahead of us. But he kind of stood alone. Great player.
“The person’s outstanding, the competitor. He’s a Seahawk. It’s really cool. And we were actually concerned that people were going to come ahead of us because it felt like it was just so out there in terms of mock drafts and what have you.”
The Seahawks could also get a boost from the return of Zach Charbonnet, who missed significant time with injuries last season.
Seahawks Get Bad News on $45 Million RB Trade Target