NFL Rumors on Market for Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III, More RBs in 2026 Free Agency

Teams around the NFL have a good idea of the starting point with free-agent running backs thanks to Javonte Williams' new contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

Williams will get $8 million annually for the next three years, and ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that "likely set the floor for negotiations" with other ball-carriers on the open market.

The NFL insider wrote that Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III, Breece Hall and Travis Etienne Jr. could all eclipse Williams' deal.

Graziano went on to list off the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and New York Giants as teams that could try to upgrade their backfields.

Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley and D'Andre Swift all signed for $8 million or more per season in 2024. Running backs have tended to find tougher sledding in free agency, though.

Najee Harris secured the single biggest contract last year, and he settled on just $5.2 million from the Los Angeles Chargers. Miles Sanders (four years and $25 million) was the biggest winner in 2023, and Leonard Fournette got a similar agreement (three years, $21 million) from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.

As the league demonstrated two offseasons ago, general managers are prepared to make a reasonably big investment in a running back if the player is good enough. That should hold true this spring.

Walker ran for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season and averaged 104.3 yards per contest during the Seattle Seahawks' championship run. Etienne has totaled 1,300-plus yards from scrimmage in three of his first four years. Hall set a career high in rushing yards (1,065) in 2025 and remained a capable pass-catcher out of the backfield.

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All three could make an immediate impact on a new team.

According to Graziano, the signs are pointing toward Hall either re-signing with the Jets or getting the franchise/transition tag. Walker and Etienne, on the other hand, will likely be available to the highest bidder.

If New York does take Hall off the board, that should only strengthen the leverage Walker and Etienne have with interested suitors. When a one-year tender ranges from $11.3 million to $14.3 million, that would also provide another data point for how much a proven running back will cost.