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At rookie minicamp inside the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, former Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik looked every bit like a player eager to turn the page.
The New York Jets selected Klubnik, who signed a four-year, $5.59 million rookie contract that included a $1.2 million signing bonus on May 7, with the No. 110 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft after trading up 18 spots in a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
After two days of rookie camp, Klubnik’s focus wasn’t on draft position, expectations, or pressure. It was simply about football.
“I think, I’m just excited to be here,” Klubnik said Saturday. “I don’t feel like I’ve ever really gotten nervous before. I’m excited for any opportunity I have. And I love the game. And I love everything that comes with it.”
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn made it clear Friday that the organization targeted Klubnik specifically throughout the draft process and valued the opportunity to get him developmental reps early.
“I’m happy with our quarterback room,” Glenn said. “Obviously, you guys know how I feel about Geno [Smith] and getting a chance to get Cade, a guy we traded up for, that we really targeted, and allowing him to get these reps -- that’s something that we look forward to.”
The quarterback room Klubnik enters features experience and competition.
In March, the Jets acquired Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders after he threw for 3,035 yards and 19 touchdowns in 15 starts last season. Klubnik will also battle veterans Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe for positioning on the depth chart.
“As long as he’s producing, as long as he’s the best guy, he’s going to continue to play,” Glenn said of Smith and the competition behind him. “Obviously, in this league, you got to have a system where there are backups and there are guys that are pushing the starter. You always want to create that type of competition. Listen, I’m not going to sit here and say exactly where Cade is going to play.”
Klubnik’s path to Florham Park has been anything but straightforward.
Just one year ago, many evaluators viewed the former Clemson quarterback as a potential first-round pick after a breakout 2024 campaign in which he threw for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns and six interceptions while accounting for 43 total touchdowns. Clemson’s disappointing 7–6 season in 2025 coupled with Klubnik’s statistical regression to 2,943 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions caused his draft stock to slide.
Klubnik believes the adversity may ultimately benefit him more than the success ever could have.
“In my mind, I’m a winner,” said Klubnik, who also dealt with an ankle and wrist injury late in the season. “I don’t mean that in a boastful way. I think that’s the mentality you have to have as a quarterback, and I think that my resume has kind of showed that as well. But this past year, we didn’t win as much.
“I really learned how to truly face adversity and just attack it. Because if I would have gone and had the exact year that I dreamed and worked for, I don’t think I’d be prepared as much as I am now. I learned how to face that adversity and get up every single day, even though the end goal that I was chasing originally isn’t there anymore.”
That mindset has helped Klubnik avoid carrying resentment over his draft fall.
“To be honest, not really,” Klubnik said when asked if he has a chip on his shoulder. “God had a plan for me, and this is where I’m at right now. And I’m thankful for it.”
