After a disappointing slide to the fourth round, the former Clemson star faces a steep climb in New York, buried deep on the depth chart behind unproven competition.
Former Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik will have an uphill battle to become a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Klubnik entered the 2025 season with an opportunity to boost his stock and potentially become a Day 1 or early Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
However, Klubnik and Clemson's offense struggled so badly last season that the team finished 7-6 and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was sent packing.
The New York Jets took Klubnik in the fourth round of the draft. The Jets don't view him as a Week 1 starter.
Jets insider Rich Cimini had even more brutal news on the quarterback. He's expected to be behind Brady Cook on the depth chart, meaning Klubnik will be on the fringe of making the 53-man roster and will only play if New York has a catastrophe.
"Without a proven backup on the roster, Klubnik will share backup reps this offseason and has the opportunity to make a move," Cimini wrote. "The Jets want to give him as much work as possible, with coach Aaron Glenn saying 'we want to push the envelope with that player.'
"In all likelihood, Klubnik will make the 53 as the QB3 behind Geno Smith and Brady Cook. But if he's on the field this season, that means something went terribly wrong for the Jets."
Klubnik played through ankle and wrist injuries last season. He told Cimini that it was "tough" last season with Clemson.
"[Clemson] is a tough place to be," Klubnik said, alluding to the 3-5 start. "It's a really tough place to be. My senior year, with 19 starters coming back and huge aspirations and dreams that we had as a team, we didn't really fulfill those.
"[I] battled two major injuries throughout the year. Sitting there at 3-5, with all of our dreams and goals out the window, we kind of had to look in the mirror and look to my teammates and say, 'This is bigger than us. This is going to be special, though.'"
Third place on the Jets depth chart at quarterback is another bad place to be. Geno Smith isn't exactly a tier one or two starting quarterback.
Brady Cook was signed by New York as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2025. He threw for 739 yards, two touchdowns and seven interceptions last season.