Former Clemson QB Cade Klubnik Gets Bad News With NFL Team

Former Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik appeared to be nearing his NFL debut with the New York Jets.

After all, the Jets are going nowhere fast at 2-7, and 36-year-old Geno Smith is certainly not the answer under center moving forward.

Nevertheless, it doesn't appear New York has any intention of turning the reins over to Klubnik just yet.

As the NFL trade deadline passed on Tuesday, there was speculation that the Jets could potentially move Smith, who certainly would have represented an upgrade for a team like the Minnesota Vikings, for example (although the Vikings ultimately landed Kirk Cousins).

That obviously would have opened the door for Klubnik to step in as the starter.

However, ESPN's Rich Cimini provided some bad news for Klubnik in that regard, noting that one of the Jets' top priorities right now is evaluating their young offensive playmakers and that Smith taking snaps gives them the best chance to do that.

He also noted that Aaron Glenn seemed very unlikely to make the switch to Klubnik because he is fighting for his job, and then he dropped the final blow to the ex-Clemson star: Smith could stick around in 2027, as well.

New York owns three first-round picks this spring, and in what is supposed to be a quarterback-heavy draft, the Jets will almost surely be taking one of the many signal-callers slated to be available.

That could mean that Klubnik would just be roster fodder at that point, as the chances of him competing with a first-round quarterback are slim to none.

It's an unfortunate development for Klubnik, who was looking like a potential top pick himself heading into his senior campaign at Clemson before an incredibly underwhelming showing destroyed his stock.

Still, the Jets traded up to nab Klubnik in the fourth round of the draft last April, so given the investment they made in him, you would think they would at least want to give him a shot to see what he has before they draft a new quarterback.

But as of right now, New York doesn't seem interested in doing that.

It seems rather silly. The Jets have lost four games in a row with Smith under center. They clearly aren't making the playoffs. Does Glenn really have anything to lose with trying Klubnik considering his team is losing games with Smith anyway?

Hopefully, Klubnik gets a chance to seize the reins at some point this season.