The New York Jets have made their quarterback hierarchy clear.
Geno Smith is the starter, rookie Cade Klubnik is the backup. Evaluations could continue as we navigate the NFL's regular season.
New York head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed as much after the Jets unveiled their initial 53-man roster, ending any lingering questions about where the rookie fourth-round QB stood heading into Week 1. That doesn't mean questions about Klubnik's future have disappeared.
In ESPN's 2026 rookie guide, insider Dan Graziano identified a scenario in which the former Clemson quarterback could eventually find himself in the starting lineup.
The formula wasn't particularly complicated. Frankly, it was pretty straightforward, a theory most who are paying attention would agree with.

#klubnik

Jets' search for quarterback leads to workout with second-round draft bust originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Jets are in the market for a quarterback for their practice squad and that has led to them working out two signal-callers on Thursday, one of which is a former second-round draft pick.
According to The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, the Jets worked out quarterbacks Will Levis and Jack Plummer.
While the Jets could certainly use more insurance at quarterback on their 53-man roster, Rosenblatt notes New York is looking for a practice squad quarterback instead.
New York's current quarterbacks room includes Geno Smith and rookie Cade Klubnik, but the Jets don't have a signal-caller on the practice squad.

#squad #rosenblatt #draft

Meet the 7 underrated QBs who could be college football's next Fernando Mendoza originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There might never be a better example of how drastically a quarterback class can change in a few short months than the 2025 college football season.
LaNorris Sellers, Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier were all considered legitimate first-round prospects and potential Heisman Trophy contenders. The name Fernando Mendoza was known by a much more limited number of fans, with the exception of those who stayed up deep into the night to watch him duel with Cam Ward at Cal.
The quarterbacks to watch this college football season are supposed to be Arch Manning, Dante Moore, CJ Carr, Julian Sayin, Trinidad Chambliss and Darian Mensah. It doesn't usually work out that way, though.
At least one quarterback without much name recognition in Week 1 is going to find his way into the thick of the Heisman Trophy race or the first round discussion, if not both. A rise like Mendoza's is tough to mirror, but there are a number of quarterbacks who have the talent to reach stardom in 2026.

#sporting

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has named Christopher Vizzina his starting quarterback for the Tigers' opener at LSU.
"He's earned that," Swinney said during a press conference on Sept. 1.
"It's been a lot of fun," Swinney said of the quarterback battle. "They've had a very detailed process on how they've gone through it. Every practice, every rep, every throw, everything has been graded to the ninth degree, and (Vizzina) is just a little ahead. He's not a mile ahead, but he's ahead, and practice matters."
Vizzina was the top backup for Cade Klubnik the last two seasons, but with Klubnik now in the NFL, the door opened for the senior to win the job.
While Vizzina was the likely starter heading into the summer, he was competing against freshman Tait Reynolds. Swinney said "there was a time" when he thought Reynolds would win the job, but that Vizzina separated himself during fall camp.

#ahead #clemson

The days of Clemson dominating the ACC Championship appear to be over.
From 2015 to 2022, the Tigers won seven of eight ACC **** les during the peak of Dabo Swinney's dynasty at CU. But with the transfer portal upending the college football landscape and the ACC ending divisions at the start of the 2023 season, the conference **** le has opened up. The league has had a different winner each of the last three seasons, and last year's champion was its most shocking. Duke won its first ACC **** le in the conference-championship era after finishing the 2025 regular season at 7-5 and winning the five-way tiebreaker for second place.
This season should be a lot different for the ACC. For starters, the conference redid its tiebreaker policy in the event of another logjam. On the field, the conference seems to be a one-horse race. According to FanDuel, the Hurricanes are the odds-on favorite to win the ACC at -150, the highest odds to win a P4 conference (Texas Tech is -105 to win the Big 12). However, a second tier has plenty of firepower and is looking to upset Miami. Louisville and SMU, each ranked in the AP Preseason top 25, are tied for second to win the ACC at +750. Although SMU returns starting QB Kevin Jennings, both teams must replace a majority of starters from their nine-win seasons in 2025, but they should be two of the more high-powered offenses in college football this season.
Behind SMU and UL, Clemson sits at +1600 after finally utilizing the portal in the offseason. However, they are starting a quarterback with only one collegiate start under his belt, Christopher Vizzina, who backed up Cade Klubnik for the last three years.
If Miami did not win the ACC this season, it would be a shock. After going to the national championship last year, Mario Cristobal did an excellent job blending his lineup, full of returning starters and high-value transfers.

#season #championship #starters #clemson

Jets get wild 'long-shot' prediction on Cade Klubnik that would be dream scenario originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Jets are heading into the 2026 NFL season with Geno Smith as their starting quarterback. But after his struggles last season, he might not start the full season.
It's very likely that Cade Klubnik, the rookie fourth-rounder, will get a chance to play for the Jets. If he does, his production will be very interesting to keep an eye on, as there is a small chance something truly wild happens.
As ESPN's Dan Graziano highlighted in his "long-shot" prediction for the Jets, Klubnik could come into the QB1 job early in the year, thrive, get the Jets into playoff contention, and prove he should be the starter next season, and potentially beyond, as well.
"Long-shot outcome: Klubnik comes on quickly in practice and overtakes Smith early in the season. He plays well, and the Jets hang in the wild card race into December," Graziano writes. "Picking too low in the first round to get (or even trade up for) one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the draft, they use their early-round picks to bolster the roster around Klubnik and go into 2027 with him as the starter."

#Jets #early #sporting #smith

The New York Jets are getting ready to play their second preseason game on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. The Jets' first-team offense and defense played well last week in their 24-16 loss to the Buccaneers, but it was the backups who struggled, especially at quarterback.
This will be a bigger test as the Steelers are expected to play their starters for at least the first quarter, aside from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
As for the Jets, the starters will play except for running back Breece Hall, who suffered a groin strain in and will miss 2-3 weeks. The good news is that Hall should be ready for the season opener against the Tennessee ****** ans. The Jets got even more good news when defensive tackle T'vondre Sweat and OLB/DE Joseph Ossai were activated from the Non-Football injury list and have begun practicing with the team.
Considering the preseason cirumstances, here are Jets Wire's three players to watch in the second week of the preseason:
Klubnik performed better than expected in his debut last week against the Buccaneers. He led the Jets offense on two scoring drives in the first quarter. He played with plenty of confidence, looked very comfortable running the offense with the starters and had a nice rapport with Garrett Wilson. It's unknown if Geno Smith will play on Friday as he's still dealing with foot soreness that kept him out of last week's game. If Geno doesn't play, Klubnik should receive plenty of work once again with the first team offense.

#offense

Jets quarterback Cade Klubnik's current coach praised Klubnik's preseason debut, touting his "moxie" and "confidence." Klubnik's former coach has chimed in, too.
"By the time I got to the office, he was out but I texted back and forth with him last night and just proud of him," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said regarding Klubnik's first NFL game, via Alexander Turri of USA Today. "I mean, like I said, he's going to be a great pro."
A fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft, Klubnik will have a chance to become the team's starter following Geno Smith 2.0.
"He's gonna play a long time," Swinney added regarding Klubnik. "He's a really, really talented quarterback and that's why he got drafted and they've obviously seen that too right out of the gate. So, hopefully he stays healthy. If he does, he's going to be one of those guys, you look up and he's played quite a while."
Klubnik played through two significant injuries in 2025 (wrist and ankle). His performance suffered from it, and the team underachieved. He nevertheless emerged from the down year undeterred by his pro prospects.

#swinney #quarterback #played

Jets get concerning Breece Hall scare amid reported untouched injury originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Jets played their first preseason game not too long ago, and Breece Hall did suit up and play for a little while with Cade Klubnik and the other starters.
He finished the day with four carries for 16 yards, with no targets or receptions. It was a quiet debut after his big-money offseason extension, but he came out okay. However, Monday's practice was a different story.
According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, Hall went down "untouched" during practice with an injury in a major injury scare for the Jets that still has a lot of uncertainty around it.
"Breece Hall goes down, untouched, while running after a catch. #Jets ," Cimini reports. This update from Jets practice is very worrying.

#hall #breece #practice #cimini

Geno Smith was a late scratch for the Jets' preseason opener due to a sore ankle, but there was no concern from the team about an extended absence and Monday brought good news about his condition.
Reporters at training camp share that Smith was on the field and participating in the walkthrough portion of practice on Monday morning. Smith is wearing a sleeve on his lower left leg.
Fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik got the start against Tampa in place of Smith and helped his chances of landing the backup job for the regular season by leading two drives that resulted in 10 points.
The Jets will play their second preseason game against the Steelers on Friday. Head coach Aaron Glenn has not shared the specifics about who will be in the lineup for that game.

#smith #Monday #geno #klubnik

The New York Jets (0-1) opened the 2026 NFL preseason with the goal of putting forth a better product than they did during the this campaign. New York made various moves over the course of the offseason to improve the team, such as trading for quarterback Geno Smith, but their first test came Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) and it didn't go as planned.
The Jets lost to the Buccaneers 24-16 mostly with players like quarterback Brady Cook, who are competing for playing time for next season.
However, the story of the game was Smith not starting. It was fourth-round rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik who started instead. With his effort put forward, Klubnik was the standout.
Quarterback Jalon Daniels led the way for the Buccaneers competing 10-of-15 passes for 111 yards while wide receiver Garrett Greene caught 4-of-7 targets for 54 yards. Like the Jets, the Bucs did not play their starting quarterback in Baker Mayfield either.
With that, here is Jets Wire's stock report following Week 1 of the preseason:

#york #smith #like #preseason

The Jets' first preseason game of 2026 is in the books. Let's talk about five players who helped themselves.
Cade Klubnik: Klubnik got a surprise start in the preseason opener due to a Geno Smith ankle injury. Any rookie quarterback tends to get overanalyzed in exhibition games. Klubnik didn't do anything spectacular, but he was efficient and did more bad than good. He also avoided any glaring mistakes on his way to a 5 for 7 night. Klubnik was the best of the three Jets' quarterbacks and took a step toward earning the backup quarterback job.
Will McDonald: McDonald has become a bit of a forgotten man at defensive end after the Jets added two players at his position in free agency and then picked Will McDonald second overall. Joseph Ossai's injury allowed McDonald to start. He might have been facing backups, but you don't get to choose your competition. You can only control your performance. McDonald got on the board a sack in limited action.
Braelon Allen: For the next couple of weeks Allen has the stage to himself in the competition to be the second running back behind Breece Hall due to Isaiah Davis' knee injury. The key for the third year back is to show he has recovered from his own knee injury that ended his 2025 season early. Allen broke a 31 yard touchdown run in the first half. Again, the competition was not starting level, but him running away from defenders suggests he still has a second gear.
Mory Bamba: The first time I noticed Bamba, he was beaten cleanly in the red zone. He was able to recover to break up the pass on the play, but that was due mainly to a poor throw. For the rest of the game, Bamba was noticeable for all the right reasons. Often tested in coverage, he held up with 4 passes broken up. He also stood out on special teams. This was one of the stronger preseason cases I've seen an off the radar make to earn a surprise roster spot in recent memory.

#Jets #bamba #Competition

Jets first look at Cade Klubnik was very encouraging for 2 reasons originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Jets played their first game of the NFL preseason on Friday night, and while it resulted in a 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there were plenty of good moments during the night.
One of the biggest storylines coming out of this game, though, is the play of rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik. The former Clemson QB got his first NFL action, and his performance was very encouraging for two reasons.
ESPN's Rich Cimini highlighted one of the reasons why the Jets can be optimistic about Klubnik, as his two-series debut went off without a hitch. But the other reason this was an encouraging game for Klubnik is a bit more under the radar.
"Klubnik strengthened the case for the No. 2 job, leading the starting offense to a field goal and touchdown in his only two series," Cimini writes.

#cimini

The New York Jets began their 2026 NFL preseason schedule on Friday at MetLife Stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The game ended in a 24-16 Buccaneers win, but as is the case with the preseason, it is an exhibition. Even so, there is still plenty to stay up-to-date with as jobs are on the line and decisions need to be made by head coach Aaron Glenn.
With Geno Smith (ankle) not playing and being listed as day-to-day, fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik started at quarterback. Klubnik impressed, meanwhile, backup QB Bailey Zappe did not with his two interceptions.
Defensively, the Jets were unfortunately status quo: No takeaways and still no interceptions.
Miss the action? Want to check it out again?

#Friday

Jets QB Geno Smith did not play in the team's first preseason game on Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with what the team is calling a sore ankle.
Head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that it happened in the team's last joint practice with the Bucs earlier this week.
"Nothing to be alarmed about. It'll be day-to-day," Glenn said after the Jets' 24-16 loss. "Thursday, I told him he wasn't going to play… Precautionary."
The Jets are not too concerned about the injury and it was something that would not have kept Smith out if Friday's game was in the regular season.
Fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik started the game with the starters and played a couple of series. He finished 5 of 7 for 56 yards and took a sack.

#Jets #tampa

The Jets made a late change at quarterback on Friday and rookie Cade Klubnik got the start against the Buccaneers as a result.
Klubnik opened his first NFL appearance with a short pass to tight end Mason Taylor that turned into a 12-yard gain. The pair hooked up again for seven yards and Klubnik then found wideout Garrett Wilson twice for 32 yards. Wilson made an impressive leaping grab in traffic for a 21-yard gain on the first completion.
The Jets settled for a field goal on that drive and Klubnik let running back Braelon Allen do the heavy lifting on the next drive. Allen ran for a 31-yard touchdown on Klubnik's final play of the night.
Klubnik finished 5-of-7 for 56 yards.
Geno Smith was expected to start the game, but the Jets scratched him just before kickoff with what head coach Aaron Glenn called ankle soreness on the CBS broadcast. Glenn said the team does not believe it is a serious issue.

#klubnik #yard #allen

The New York Jets are going to start the preseason without their top pilot.
Geno Smith will not play in the team's preseason opener on Aug. 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The quarterback is dealing with foot soreness, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. It is just a precaution for the veteran signal-caller, who would play through the injury if it were during the regular season.
Smith was expected to play alongside many of the Jets starters, which would've represented his first game action with the team since his departure after the 2016 season.
Cade Klubnik will start instead as Smith's replacement.

#play #smith

Quarterback evaluation isn't just about arm talent. It's about identifying the habits that continue to appear, even after the jersey changes. For New York Jets rookie Cade Klubnik, one of those habits that continues to be a discussion piece may be his red-zone execution.
Through the early stages of training camp, Klubnik has battled injuries. He has also flashed many of the traits that made him one of college football's most intriguing quarterbacks. He's athletic, confident outside the pocket and capable of extending plays with his legs. Inside the 20-yard line, however, the margin for error becomes dramatically smaller.
That challenge isn't entirely new. During his career with the Clemson Tigers, Klubnik produced plenty of touchdowns and emerged as a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, finishing with 17 rushing scores. His mobility frequently gave the Tigers another answer near the goal line, particularly on designed quarterback runs and scrambles.
The rushing ability grabs one's attention, but there's more to the story when the Jets take center stage. Klubnik is a special talent. He's a two-time ACC Championship Game MVP (2022, 2024). The Jets saw fit to take him during Round 4 of the most recent NFL draft, but he also experienced stretches where drives stalled because of forced throws, turnovers, or mistakes in compressed areas of the field.
That's one of the most common adjustments young quarterbacks face when reaching the NFL. College quarterbacks can often rely on superior athleticism to escape pressure or create second-chance opportunities. Professional defenses rarely allow those same escape routes. Windows close faster. Defenders recover quicker. Mistakes become touchdowns for the other team.

#habits

Christopher Vizzina has waited three years for an opportunity to become Clemson football's starting quarterback. As fall camp gets underway, the senior is closer than ever to getting his shot.
Dabo Swinney confirmed Thursday that Vizzina remains ahead of freshman Tait Reynolds in the race to replace Cade Klubnik, who was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the NFL draft.
"Again, he's got the pole position, but he's still gotta finish the race," Swinney said.
"He's gotta go finish the race, but he's got a lead into the second half here, so we'll see what happens."
Vizzina hasn't played much during his Clemson career, but he has spent those years developing behind Klubnik rather than looking elsewhere for an easier path to playing time. Swinney believes that approach has helped Vizzina earn credibility inside the Tigers' locker room.

#race #klubnik #finish #christopher

I recently posted a series of videos on my YouTube channel (please jump there and subscribe) about the biggest X-factor players for Clemson's 2026 football season. Kobe McCloud and Amare Adams were the two biggest for the defense. On offense the biggest X-factor was quite obvious — Christopher Vizzina.
Vizzina was a blue-chip recruit out of Alabama who came to Clemson and waited behind Cade Klubnik. Entering his fourth year in the program, he has only attempted 105 collegiate passes. In an era where starting QBs hit the field quickly (e.g., Julian Sayin [OSU], Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele [Cal]) or gain playing time at a smaller program and transfer in with experience (e.g., Byrum Brown [AU], Anthony Colandrea (UN], Colton Joseph [UW]) it almost feels weird to turn the reigns over to the QB understudy. Reminder – This is actually normal. What everyone else is doing is what's new and different. Here's what Coach Swinney said about it:
"There's a reason why we had confidence in the decision we made. That's because we're there every day. CV has earned the opportunity to go be the starting quarterback at Clemson based on everything we've observed."
Unfortunately, they've observed it, but we have not. After a relatively positive performance in a spot start vs. SMU, Vizzina only attempted 15 more passes the rest of the year. They all came against Furman. That was it! We didn't even get an appearance in a cold and dreary Pinstripe Bowl to spark some confidence in him taking the reins for 2026.
What little we've seen from Vizzina outside of that SMU start has not been pretty. He's mostly struggled in Clemson Spring Games. He also struggled in his brief appearance against Boston College, throwing an interception shortly after Klubnik went down with injury. His late season opportunity against Furman yielded just 3.5 yards per pass attempt. His start vs. SMU likely gives us our best data though, so that's what I dive into in the film session below.

#clemson #factor

Good morning Gang Green Nation! There is some good news for the Jets and Geno Smith today. Smith has been in the headlines recently for several run-ins with the police. The only serious allegations involved claims of battery against a Florida woman. We now get word that the police investigation into those allegations is inactive for lack of evidence against Smith. If you're a tank commander or just really want to see Cade Klubnik in extended action this season this may not be good news. For those Jets fans who would like to see some modicum of success for the Jets this season, this is very good news. Smith is unlikely to be a star for the Jets, but he is by far the best option at quarterback on the current Jets roster.
Here are your links to your New York Jets this glorious Wednesday in July.
Susanna Weir – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Nahshon Wright Add New Look to Jets Secondary
Amanda Vogt – Jets 2026 Training Camp Preview | Defensive Line Gets Bigger
Jason Fitzgerald – Offensive Line Investments for 2026

The New York Jets were terrible on offense throughout the 2025 season. That led to sweeping personnel changes this offseason. The Jets parted ways with quarterbacks Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor, and even fired offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand after one season.
The Jets hired Frank Reich to be Aaron Glenn's new offensive play-caller. Geno Smith was acquired to play quarterback. The supporting cast got extensions for Breece Hall and Joe Tippmann, and first-round picks Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq also joined the offense.
Bleacher Report recently ****** sed the best and worst-case scenarios for every offense in the league. The dream scenario includes rookies like Cooper and Sadiq firmly establishing themselves as building blocks. The nightmare would see the quarterbacks struggling for a second straight season.
"With all due respect to Geno Smith and rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik, the New York Jets' quarterback of the future probably won't be drafted until 2027," Moe Moton wrote. "Next year's class is expected to be deep at the position, and New York already owns three first-round selections. In a best-case scenario, the Jets get enough from the quarterback position to identify potential long-term support pieces for their next young quarterback."
Moton is correct that Smith is a temporary solution for the Jets at quarterback. With three 2027 first-round picks at his disposal, Darren Mougey may already be eyeing prospects like Arch Manning and Dante Moore. Moton goes on to claim the Jets' quarterbacks could derail the entire 2026 season.

It’s rare for a 4th round quarterback to become a longtime starter in the NFL. There have been exceptions (Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins comes to mind) but each has been shadowed by a who’s who of “who’s that” (hello Kyle Lauletta). However, when former a Clemson star Cade Klubnik was selected isn’t the most despairing aspect of his projection, it’s where he was selected.
The New York Jets are where Quarterbacks go to rot. Their last iconic signal caller came by the likes of Joe Namath, who was drafted as recently as the signing of the Civil Rights Act (1964). Their second greatest is arguably Ken O’Brien, who led them to exactly one playoff win in nine years. The greatest of this century is likely Chad Pennington, who was able to win two playoff games in his eight seasons.
However, if there is any benefit to Cade landing in New York, it’s the lack of competition on that football team. Sitting behind a 35 year old Geno Smith, Klubnik is highly likely to see the field early on in his career. Additionally, the Jets have a multitude of interesting pieces on their roster. Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are proven stars simply looking for a competent signal caller to distribute them the ball. AD Michell is an exciting young prospect with shades of George Pickens (complimentary and derogatory). Rookie Omar Cooper just won a National Championship with Indiana, and Kenyon Sadiq is a tight end with Julio Jones’ height and 40 time and Anthony Edwards’ vertical leap.
The Jets also project a strong offensive line, with no clear holes at any of the five positions. They do set up a young quarterback to succeed, just haven’t been able to find that passer.
In a perfect world, Cade plays a Point Guard-esque role for a team full of talented skill players. Think Memphis Grizzlies Tyus Jones or Phoenix Suns Ricky Rubio; a player that isn’t necessarily taking over games and creating big plays out of nothing, but can distribute in a way that gives his teammates the opportunity to do what they do best while limiting turnovers.

With the New York Jets wrapping up 2026 NFL minicamp, the team is in a quiet period until next month. In the later stages of July, training camp will begin and the full journey to next season begins.
More moves and transactions can come from the team in that time, but most of the heavy lifting is done. So with spring practices behind us, why not take a look ahead?
With that, here is Jets Wire's post-minicamp 53-man roster projection
Geno Smith, Cade Klubnik, Bailey Zappe
There is a battle for QB2, but Smith in locked in as the starter.

Brendan Sorsby's future is now in the hands of the NFL franchises, as he decided to drop his case for eligibility against the NCAA last week. Instead of trying to overcome his lifetime ban from college athletics, the signal-caller will now enter the NFL supplemental draft.
Whether or not he will attract the interest of any NFL teams remains to be seen. However, according to insider Rich Cimini, at least one team isn't at all interested in his services. Even while the New York Jets (worth $8.1 billion, according to Forbes) are looking for a new starting quarterback, they aren't interested in recruiting Sorsby due to his betting scandal.
"They don't want to deal to deal with it," said ESPN's Rich Cimini via NFLSleeper.
The Jets did select one quarterback during the 2026 NFL draft, as they took Clemson's Cade Klubnik in the fourth round with the 110th overall pick.
Unlike the Jets, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns are reportedly interested in getting Sorsby.

The New York Jets aren't taking any chances with quarterback Cade Klubnik.
As the team's 2026 NFL minicamp continued this week, the rookie once again found himself watching portions of practice rather than participating in them. Head coach Aaron Glenn provided an update.
Per Coach Glenn, the Jets are exercising the precautionary approach. He named Klubnik as the only Jet who wouldn't participate in practice on Wednesday.
Aaron Glenn says the only player who won't practice today - but will be available later in minicamp - is rookie QB Cade Klubnik, who sat out last week with back spasms. Glenn says it's precautionary, no need to rush him onto the field right now. #Jets
— Dennis Waszak Jr. (DWAZ73) June 16, 2026

The New York Jets made a surprising selection during the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft when they traded up to select Clemson QB Cade Klubnik.
Most draft ****** ysts didn’t have him with a fourth-round grade, but the Jets chose to be aggressive to avoid another team potentially selecting Klubnik as they view him as an integral part of the team’s future.
Klubnik's stats over his final two seasons at Clemson was polarizing to say the least.
Last year, he threw for just under 3,000 yards and only 16 touchdowns to go along with six interceptions. He did add four touchdowns on the ground, but his stats are a bit misleading.
Not exactly impressive stats to warrant a trade up to select him, especially when the Jets had plenty of areas on the roster that needed to be fixed. Klubnik did deal with injuries for most of last season as well as a weaker team in regards to talent compared to his 2024 season at Clemson.

There's been a significant amount of interest in tracking New York Jets rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik at OTAs.
Understandably so. The fanbase is looking for a young quarterback to attach hope to. Klubnik had impressed in early sessions, but Tuesday's was of the rougher variety.
Klubnik went 2-of-5 during 11-on-11 team drills, according to ESPN. The former Clemson standout overthrew his target on one incompletion and there was an errant throw on another dropback. It's worth noting one of Klubnik's three incompletions was a dropped pass.
Offensive coordinator Frank Reich's 7-on-7 drills reportedly weren't any kinder to Klubik.
The fourth-round quarterback finished 3-of-9. He threw an interception down the sideline to cornerback Tre Brown. The turnover appeared to have rattled Klubnik, who followed his interception with a few more misfires. The Jets' offense reportedly worked on a lot of third-and-long, placing the rookie quarterback at a disadvantage.