The Green Bay Packers were already among the most likely teams to deal for a running back ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, November 10, and the probability of that outcome ostensibly surged following an injury to Josh Jacobs against the New England Patriots in Week 9.
Jacobs left the contest due to a hand injury in the first quarter after getting it caught in the facemask of Patriots defender Craig Woodson. At the time of his exit, Jacobs had carried the football four times for just five yards. As of halftime, the running back was questionable to return to action.
The Packers welcomed Jacobs back into the huddle a couple of games back after he missed the first six weeks of the season while on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, the equivalent of paid leave from the NFL, while the court system moved through a domestic violence case against the running back.
Jacobs cleared those legal issues after pleading no contest to one count of battery and one count of criminal damage to property, neither of which carried any jail time. However, further allegations involving different potential victims emerged in the weeks since, and the NFL still has yet to issue an official punishment to Jacobs.
Based on how the details play out in the league’s investigation and what evidence it can view, namely a video of Jacobs’ most recent incident from May, the NFL could still send Jacobs back to the sideline for more games this season.
However, it now appears that he could miss time even if that doesn’t happen because of his hand injury. Meanwhile, the Packers continue to field the least effective run game in the league, which they have done since Week 1.
Jets RB Breece Hall Best Trade Target for Packers at NFL Deadline
So considering all of that uncertainty in the midst of a consistent inability to get the run game off the ground, the Packers are now in even greater need of an upgrade at running back. And the most logical candidate is Breece Hall of the New York Jets.
The Jets fell to 2-7 on Sunday after their fourth consecutive loss, a 23-point drubbing by the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. New York’s season is more or less over at this point, which positions the Jets as trade-deadline sellers — particularly with Aaron Glenn looking more and more like a lame duck head coach in his second season at the helm.
Hall just signed a three-year contract worth $43.5 million that doesn’t make as much sense now given that the Jets have three first-round picks in 2027 and are probably going to reset the offense next year starting with the quarterback position and branching out from there.
Breece Hall Makes More Sense With Packers Than Jets on Current Contract, Timeline
Also, Hall missed five games this season with a quad injury, during which third-year running back Braelon Allen stepped up in a big way.
Allen entered Week 9 with 565 rushing yards and five TDs on 5.0 yards per carry across eight games played, including five starts. He also had 17 catches for 81 yards.
Hall took the RB1 role back upon his return to action against the Chiefs Sunday, rushing 15 times for 61 yards, while Allen logged eight carries for 33 yards. Hall had three catches for 26 yards, while Allen caught two passes for 21 yards.
The difference is Allen is just 22 years old, compared to Hall who is 25. Allen is also on his rookie contract through 2027, while Hall just got expensive this season as the league’s 8th-highest paid RB based on an annual average salary of $14.5 million, according to Over The Cap.
Green Bay has been to the playoffs the last three seasons and will move to 6-3 with a win over the Patriots in Week 9, firmly in the hunt to make the postseason again despite all their struggles in the run game. With Jacobs’ future uncertain, Hall as a longterm prospect playing on his current contract makes sense for the Packers in ways he doesn’t for New York, particularly given Allen’s presence on the Jets’ roster.
Adding Hall might cost Green Bay a third-round pick in 2027, but that’s a much better price than the second-rounder (and then some) the Indianapolis Colts are asking for Jonathan Taylor.
Packers’ Likelihood of $43.5 Million RB Trade Spikes With Josh Jacobs’ Injury