Cade Klubnik continues to make the Jets’ fourth-round gamble look brilliant

With how ugly the New York Jets’ quarterback room has looked over the last 15 years, it’d only be fitting if a fourth-round pick ended their painful search for a franchise player.

Are we jumping the gun on Cade Klubnik? Perhaps, but the Clemson standout has continued to provide optimism and faith in a way that Jets fans typically haven’t received from young quarterbacks. Zach Wilson certainly never did it, and Sam Darnold was relatively divisive, especially considering the attention that No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield drew in that 2018 draft.

Klubnik has dominated training camp, and he looked sharp in last Friday’s preseason opener against the Buccaneers. Although the early assumption was that Klubnik would sit behind Bailey Zappe or Brady Cook, he’s long since left both in the dust. At this point, there’s a case to be made that neither should make the 53-man roster, with Klubnik and Geno Smith being the only active quarterbacks.

Things are going so well that the New York Post’s Brian Costello believes that the Jets “should feel comfortable” having Klubnik as the No. 2 behind Smith. That’s not too bad for someone who fell to the draft’s third and final day.

Cade Klubnik is already among the New York Jets’ remarkable 2026 success stories

In that same X/Twitter post, Costello made it clear that Klubnik would be the backup and is not competing for the starting role. Jets coach Aaron Glenn has reiterated that Smith, a two-time Pro Bowler with the Seahawks, will start in Week 1.

But even if Klubnik is “only” the backup, it’s nonetheless enough to put a smile on Jets fans’ faces. There have been so many other teams — Washington with Kirk Cousins, San Francisco with Brock Purdy, and Dallas with Dak Prescott, to name a few — who found multi-year starting quarterbacks on Day 3. For all of his flaws and postseason failures, Prescott might even land in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. 

None of this is to suggest that Klubnik is destined to follow in their footsteps. For all we know, he could be the next Zappe, or even a slightly more athletic version of Nathan Peterman, because that’s exactly what Jets fans need. Nothing says “franchise quarterback” like a reincarnated Nathan Peterman.

When you see the social media posts about Klubnik, you’ll notice that the Jets aren’t the butt of the joke. There aren’t any comments or hot takes about his rise up the depth chart being an awful look for Smith, Glenn, and general manager Darren Mougey. People are genuinely invested in Klubnik and are excited about what his future holds.

Additionally, there have been no recent credible reports that the Jets are pursuing another backup. We’ll see whether that changes following final cuts, especially if players like the Steelers’ Mason Rudolph or the Titans’ Aidan O’Connell become available. 

Smith and Klubnik will both play against the Steelers on Friday night, and all signs point to the latter working with the first-team offense again. Klubnik played the first two drives last Friday and has taken starting reps in practice this week.

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