A new social media post from one of the NFL’s top trade candidates may have just opened the door for the Chicago Bears to land a running back upgrade.
After the New York Jets fell to 0-6 last Sunday, star running back Breece Hall made a post on his Instagram on Monday in which he shared a collection of 20 pictures and seemed to hint at wanting a trade away from the Jets with the hashtag: “#Free20.”
“They want me to lay down, but I got sum to stand for…,” Hall wrote for the caption of his post, adding an emoji of a man walking followed by a right-pointed arrow. He then added the suggestive #Free20 hashtag at the end that further fueled trade rumors.
Hall has been heavily speculated as a potential trade target for the Bears ahead of the 2025 NFL trade deadline, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 4. The 24-year-old has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over his first 46 career games in the league, amassing more than 2,700 total rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Bears have struggled with the efficiency of their running game over the first six weeks of the season. Veteran D’Andre Swift is their primary ball-carrier, but he has averaged fewer than 3.2 yards per carry in three of his last five games. The team has also been ineffective in terms of finding a complementary back for him in the rotation.
A trade for Hall could potentially fix that problem — if the Bears are willing to pay up.
Breece Hall Trade Would Likely Require a New Deal
The Bears could become one of the top suitors for Hall if the Jets make him available for trade before the deadline, but they would need to be ready for a major commitment.
For starters, Hall wouldn’t come cheap in terms of draft capital. Bleacher Report’s NFL trade block big board projects that the Jets would need a conditional third-round pick as compensation for Hall, but they might settle for less if Hall’s camp applies pressure to the front office and insists that he will not return in 2026 after his contract expires.
Even if the Jets’ desired compensation fell within acceptable parameters for the Bears, they would also likely want to have a plan in place to ensure that Hall is more than just a half-season rental. That wouldn’t necessarily mean Chicago would have to work out the terms of a new contract before the trade, but it would put pressure on them to sign him to a long-term extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next March.
After all, the Bears would look foolish if they turned over a Day 2 draft pick for Hall and then failed to retain him in free agency, even with a compensatory pick coming back.
Both of those factors should weigh heavily on the Bears if they consider a trade for Hall. According to Over the Cap, they are projected to have less than $3 million available in cap space for the 2026 season, but they will have avenues for clearing more space.
The question is: Are the Bears really looking to make a big splash at running back?
Are Bears Seeking RB Upgrade Before Trade Deadline?
Hall is one of the most prominent names to check in on for teams seeking an upgrade at running back before the NFL trade deadline on November 4, but whether the Bears are actually looking for ways to upgrade their backfield remains unclear entering Week 7.
The Bears have the 18th-ranked rushing offense (110.8 yards per game) through the first six weeks of the 2025 regular season, but Swift’s huge performance against the Washington Commanders on Monday night pumped new life into the ground game.
Swift had averaged just 3.3 yards on 56 carries through the first four games, but he cut loose for 104 rushing yards on 14 carries against the Commanders. He also caught two passes for a season-high 67 receiving yards, one that he took for a 55-yard touchdown.
While Swift’s strong game might not convince the Bears that they have fixed all of their problems in the backfield, it may encourage them enough to stay the course and ride out the rest of the year with their current backs. It helps that their offensive line ranks third in the league in run-block win rate (75%), according to ESPN Analytics.
The Bears must finalize any trades before the 4 p.m. ET deadline on November 4.
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