Jets QB Cade Klubnik says all the right things after strong minicamp

The New York Jets held their rookie minicamp this past weekend. Despite having three first-round picks in attendance, it was arguably mid-round quarterback Cade Klubnik who drew the most attention.

Klubnik especially impressed reporters during his media availability.

Once viewed as a potential first-round pick, Klubnik endured a difficult senior season at Clemson in 2025 that seriously derailed his pre-draft value. Nonetheless, the Jets identified him as the late-round quarterback worth taking a chance on. Fighting through adversity has Klubnik prepared to compete in this market.

"In my mind, I'm a winner," Klubnik told reporters. "I don't mean that in a boastful way. I think that's the mentality you need to have as a quarterback. I think my resume has shown that as well, but this past year, we didn't win as much. We started the year 3-5 at Clemson. That's a really tough place to be. We had huge aspirations. We didn't really fulfill those. I battled two major injuries throughout the year. I was pretty much limping to every game. I learned how to truly face adversity, and just attack it. I'm thankful. I'm more prepared because I learned how to face adversity."

While Klubnik did fall in terms of draft stock to the fourth round, the Jets did still trade up on Day 3 to take him. That along shows some belief in the QB and general manager Darren Mougey backed that thought after the draft.

“I felt really good about Cade,” he said. “We had good grades on Cade going into this year. He was playing hurt much of the year.

"Felt really good about Cade, a young player who has a lot of experience.”

Klubnik will begin the season in a backup reserve role behind veteran starting quarterback Geno Smith. Unless the Jets are in playoff contention, they should give Klubnik an opportunity to play before they head into the 2027 NFL Draft with a ton of draft capital in what may be a strong quarterback draft.