Jets Fan Rich: Team Was Wise to Reward Breece Hall with That 3-Year Extension

Breece Hall got his long-term deal with the New York Jets. Rich, a lifelong Jets fan, is here to defend every word of Hall's exit interview.

The setup was Hall meeting with the media after the deal. Before the contract, Hall had been hit with the franchise tag.

Rich corrected the room's word choice.

"Slapped is not a good," Rich said. "If a player gets a franchise tag that he doesn't mind, no big deal. Just, if the player doesn't want it and it's disrespectful, slapped. He got slapped with the tag."

The Hall quote that has been clanking around New York was about his career situation to date.

"I feel like I'm the only running back that's consistently a top-10 back in the league that hasn't in the past been in always the most ideal situation," Hall said. "I feel like now, you know, AG and Mooj, like, I feel like they really put me in position with all the guys we brought in and the team we're building around us to really flourish and for me to really be my self."

AG and Mooj are Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. The new head coach and GM.

"God willing, we stay healthy and everything goes as planned, I feel like this could be my best season, for sure," Hall said.

Some New Yorkers heard the quote as a complaint. Rich heard it as the truth.

"That kid did not stutter," Rich said.

Rich walked through the receipts.

"He blows out his knee just as he's beginning to zoom, take off," Rich said. "Then he deals with a head coach getting fired just five games into a season. And an interim head coach who's a defensive-minded guy. Going from two different offensive coordinators. Frank Reich coming in."

Rich's projection for Hall under the new staff was big.

"Top three rushing yards in the NFL," Rich said.

The room flagged that as a tall order.

"That'll be 500 more rushing yards than he had last year," the cast pointed out.

Rich's logic ran through the offensive support.

"A lot more offensive weapons around him," Rich said. "It's going to free up some space."

The quarterback piece is going to decide whether Hall actually gets to that number.

"As the Jets are in that zone of, is Geno potentially going to find some sort of fountain of youth here that he couldn't in Vegas after he finds it in Seattle?" Rich said.

The simple ask Rich made was about turnovers.

"Geno had 17 picks. Can we get that down in the 10 range? He'll be fine," Rich said. "Cuz then Breece Hall will be taking his helmet off and smashing it down on the ground a little bit more."

Rich landed on the original Hall quote.

"He didn't stutter. He absolutely made the right statement," Rich said. "He's exactly the right guy with Garrett Wilson to say, we're going to keep you guys. When they sent everyone else out the door to start rebuilding again."

The complaint about the quote from Jets fans got the same direct treatment.

"I've seen some folks kind of push back to him. What did he say? He said he wasn't in a great situation? This just in. No," Rich said. "Spot on. No lies detected."

The state-of-New-York-sports digression that followed was bleak.

"The Yankees have lost four in a row after the Brewers absolutely exposed them," Rich said. "Mets stink on ice."

The Jets' opener, Rich said, has more optimism in it than the rest of the state has earned.

"There's a little bit more optimism for the Jets," Rich said. "Although the bottom line is it's just another season where it would be better off for them to have a top pick in the draft."