Klubnik, who dealt with ankle and wrist injuries last season, finished far off the pace from his best year at Clemson, throwing for 2,943 yards, 16 TDs and six INTs.
Considering the Jets are mired in a 15-year playoff drought, though, a signal-caller comfortable battling back from the brink could be a perfect fit. By trading up to end his draft slide in the fourth round, they took a shot on a mentally fortified quarterback, one who believes he perhaps wouldn’t be as ready for the next step had he enjoyed continued success in 2025.
“For me, I think I really learned how to truly face adversity and just attack,” Klubnik said. “Because of that, I’m really thankful. If I would have gone and had the exact year I dreamed and worked for, I don’t think I’d be prepared as much as I am now because I learned really how to face that adversity and get up every single day even though the end goal I was chasing originally wasn’t there anymore.”
Coming in as a fourth-round developmental prospect, Klubnik’s new immediate goal is to prove himself to the Jets somewhere on the depth chart behind Geno Smith, who head coach Aaron Glenn has already declared the team’s starter.
While Russell Wilson visited the Jets on April 27, leaving the door open to New York opting for a far more experienced QB2, the quarterback room is currently set up for Klubnik to make a climb, rounded out by Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe.
At least in the early going, Glenn has only had positive things to say about Klubnik as he begins that endeavor at the team’s rookie minicamp.
“(Cade is) a really smart man, so I don’t think he’s swimming as much as you probably think he is and that’s a lot because of the way the coaches are teaching them,” Glenn said Friday, per the team website. “But listen, we’re going to push the envelope with that player and see exactly where he’s at and how he’s going to be able to operate with our offense. Obviously, you’re going to see him a lot in the preseason and things like that. Again, he was a guy that we targeted, we’re happy that we got him and look forward to seeing him come training camp and things like that.”