The Kansas City Chiefs' reluctance to bolster the running game came back to bite them this season. They didn't make the playoffs, and the Chiefs' inability to establish the run and close out games played a big part in that.
Things could've been way different in Missouri. The Chiefs had a prime chance to acquire New York Jets star RB Breece Hall at the trade deadline, but general manager Brett Veach refused to meet their asking price. But now, after watching his latest social media activity, he'll have a chance to right that wrong.
Hall, like every football fan all over the world, tuned in to watch the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Then, he took to social media to send a not-so-subtle message to his free-agency suitors.
"Hope I get to experience football on this stage. Everything on the line. I’ll get there one day. I know it," Hall wrote on X. And it's not like his plea went unnoticed, as the posting had over 817,000 views and 16,000 likes at the time of writing on Sunday night.
Having said that, Chiefs fans should hope that GM Veach took notice of those pleas.
Chiefs Can't Ignore Breece Hall's Cry For Help
Hall will be one of the many headliners of this year's free agent class, and it'd be in the Chiefs' best interest to target him for help.
The Chiefs averaged a pedestrian 106.6 rushing yards per game, ranking 25th in the league. None of their running backs reached 700 rushing yards, and Patrick Mahomes even finished with almost as many rushing yards (422) as Isiah Pacheco (462) despite seeing 54 fewer carries than the veteran RB.
Hall, on the other hand, turned 233 carries into 1,065 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 36 receptions on 48 targets for 350 yards and one score. While those numbers aren't otherworldly, he did so while playing for arguably the worst offense in professional football and with a negative game script.
As things stand now, the Chiefs are $54 million over the salary cap, the most in the league. Even so, they can free up nearly $100 million by making some cuts and restructuring several contracts, leaving more than enough wiggle room to accommodate Hall. Per Spotrac, he's projected to make $41 million over four years in his next deal.
The Jets might want to keep Hall around, but he pretty much admitted he wanted to leave and showed his disappointment after the trade deadline. They could franchise-tag him, but it would cost them $14.5 million, per The Sporting News' Matt Sullivan, so that seems unlikely.
Hall should have plenty of suitors for his services next season. But after almost landing him and failing to get him over minor details, Veach owes it to Patrick Mahomes and to the fans to get it together this time. After all, Hall is the type of offseason addition who could turn one of the Chiefs' biggest weaknesses into a strength.