Cade

Klubnik

Klubik also added 26 yards rushing on the day. The rookie from Clemson looked pretty good for most of the second half, with no problem driving the ball down the field to his receivers. Some of those passes sailed on him, and he held onto the ball too long at times, but he has the arm and the ability to make enough throws to move the ball down the field and keep the Jets’ receivers relevant for fantasy football. He may have to start next week against the Chargers with Geno Smith (head/ankle) leaving this game early.

Smith took a huge hit on the final offensive play of the second quarter when he was rolling out of the pocket. He was down on the field for a while before heading into the medical tent. Cade Klubnik is in the game for the Jets.

The Jets signed Levis after hosting a workout with the former Titan. Levis will likely start as the team’s QB3 and could have a chance to compete with Cade Klubnik for backup duties behind Geno Smith at some point. Levis was one of the NFL’s most inefficient quarterbacks during his time as Tennessee starter.

What this means is that Geno Smith has plenty of job security. Klubnik in the preseason completed 21 of 34, passes for 190 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception while taking four sacks. Klubnik would be a marked downgrade from Smith if the veteran misses time in 2026.

Klubnik played two series with the starters in the first preseason game before giving way to Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook, going 5-of-7 for 56 yards. “He has some moxie to him,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “He’s very confident, he’s confident in his arm, confident in his ability to elude and make plays with his feet. His ability to be able to come out and operate with the first group the way he did, I thought, was outstanding.” Given how Jets quarterbacking has gone over the past few years and Geno Smith’s age, Klubnik will likely find himself in a starting lineup at some point this season if he can stay healthy.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the team is not concerned about Smith’s foot soreness, writing, “if this was a regular-season game, he’d be a go.” Smith has reportedly been pushing the ball downfield in practice. Those hoping to catch a glimpse of the Jets’ passing attack will have to check back next week to see if the foot issue has been resolved. Rookie QB Cade Klubnik gets the start tonight.

Glenn added that Zappe took the second-team reps behind Geno Smith in practice on Wednesday. Zappe has the most NFL experience of the bunch, so that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. It also doesn’t mean he will hold the QB2 job into Week 1. Since entering the NFL, Zappe ranks 78th out of 84 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per play (min. 150 plays). The good news for him is that Cook holds spot No. 84. As a fourth-round pick, Klubnik does have some potential, and his competition for the QB2 job is exceptionally weak. No matter who earns the backup gig, the hope for Jets fans will be that we never see them in 2026.

(Deep sigh.) “The word ‘“aura”’ has been thrown around — including by running back Breece Hall — after a slo-mo video of Klubnik walking out to practice on Thursday,” Rosenblatt writes. Klubnik also gathered Jets rookies at the team hotel to run through plays in a weight room even though the receivers were running “three-yard routes” in Klubnik’s words. We suppose there’s a low bar for excitement on the Jets quarterback front. It’s plausible that Klubnik rebounds from a down final season at Clemson that claimed the draft stock of both himself and several of his teammates. We’d be surprised if he made a real push to play this year without injuries ahead of him.

The Jets traded No. 128 and No. 140 to the Bengals for this pick and No. 199. Klubnik (6’2/207) was the No. 1 QB of the 2022 recruiting class per 247Sports’ composite rankings. The former Clemson Tiger peaked in 2024, throwing for 3,642-36-6 while leading his team to a 10-4 record, but he regressed to a 2,946-16-6 line in 2025, completing 65.2 percent of his passes. He’s an undersized but mobile QB who totaled 878 rushing yards and 17 rush touchdowns in his career, but managed just 94 rushing yards last season. Some of that can be attributed to the decline in designed runs he saw from 2024 to 2025. When Klubnik was at his best, he operated in an offense that ran RPOs at a 20.8 percent clip, per TruMedia, so the dip to a 13.8 percent RPO rate last season may explain some of his struggles. His career 5.7 ADOT on completed passes, along with his underwhelming big-time throw rate of 3.8 percent, per PFF, offers a behind-the-scenes look at Klubnik’s career adjusted completion percentage of 74.9 percent, but the numbers fall off drastically when he pushes the ball into the short and intermediate parts of the field. His traits and former five-star pedigree will warrant a further look, but Klubnik seems destined for a backup QB role at the next level. However, he’ll get the chance to compete against Geno Smith for the Jets’ starting job this season.

Matthew Stafford, 38, is entrenched as the 2026 starter. Bonsignore writes that “the Rams are already planning for that inevitable transition” that will occur whenever Stafford chooses to retire. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is unlikely to be available when the Rams are on the clock with the 13th and 29th first-round picks. Bonsignore singles out Alabama QB Ty Simpson as an option for the Rams, while noting that they will likely take a look at Penn State QB Drew Allar, Miami QB Carson Beck, Arkansas QB Taylen Green, Georgia Tech QB Haynes King, Clemson QB Cade Klubnik and LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier at the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine.