Jets land backup quarterback of the future with risky move up for Cade Klubnik

Jets got their guy.

Charlie Baduini

New York Jets quarterback Cade Klubnik / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Jets have finally selected a quarterback, pulling the trigger on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik with their second of three fourth-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

New York clearly wanted him. They traded up with the Cincinnati Bengals, sending them No. 128 and No. 140 in exchange for No. 110 and No. 199, per NFL insider Aaron Wilson.

The Jets were always going to take a quarterback in the draft. It was just a matter of who and when. Day 3 made the most sense. New York's earlier picks were too valuable to spend on a player who is unlikely to see the field.

Regardless, the Jets have a new developmental backup quarterback project in Klubnik, and fans will be watching his career closely.

Did the Jets really need to trade up for Clemson QB Cade Klubnik?

There are some questions regarding whether or not the Jets really needed to send the draft capital they did for the opportunity to select the Clemson passer.

New York drafted him with the 110th overall pick; meanwhile, Klubnik was the 202nd-ranked prospect on draft analyst Dane Brugler's big board, The Beast.

It can't be denied that the Jets needed to draft a quarterback, but this high? It certainly is a questionable decision.

According to Pro Football Focus, Klubnik was the 90th-ranked quarterback in college football last season out of 302 passers. Not ideal for a player you give up draft capital for.

In his final season at Clemson, Klubnik completed 65.6% of his passes, threw for 2,943 yards, and tossed 16 touchdowns to six interceptions.

It was certainly a down year following his 2024 campaign, where the Tigers QB threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions.

Now, it's obvious the Jets were leaning on offensive coordinator Frank Reich and quarterback coach Bill Musgrave throughout the pre-draft process when evaluating the incoming crop of QBs.

Maybe there's something the two veteran coaches see in Klubnik that the rest of the league isn't seeing.

That, or the Jets not only reached on a prospect, but gave up extra draft capital to get him.

Charlie Baduini

Charlie Baduini covers the New York Jets as a site expert for The Jet Press and FanSided. He is a sports journalist based in Northern New Jersey with a wide variety of sports reporting experience in print and broadcast journalism. Baduini’s byline can also be seen on Heavy and The Sporting News, where he covers several teams across the NFL and NBA. His work has been featured in Heavy, Athlon Sports, The Sporting News, Yahoo Sports, MSN, and Yardbarker. He also serves as a seasonal intern for ESPN, working as a production assistant for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony every year since 2022. Baduini has been a Jets fan for as long as he can remember, with his family's fandom dating back to the 1960s when his grandfather, Louis, became a season ticket holder. His family has since held on to the tickets to this day. He is an avid fan of the New York Knicks and New York Mets.