Jets QB Klubnik unshaken by fall in draft: 'I'm a winner'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- His sprained right ankle was barking, his play was suffering and the fanbase was groaning, but New York Jets rookie Cade Klubnik persevered through a difficult final season at Clemson. It damaged his draft stock, but not his confidence.

"In my mind, I'm a winner," he said Saturday at the Jets' rookie minicamp. "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 résumé has kind of showed that as well."

Klubnik won two ACC championships at Clemson, not to mention three state high school titles in Texas, but his performance slipped last season. He threw only 16 touchdowns after 36 in 2024, and Clemson stumbled to 7-6.

A preseason Heisman Trophy favorite who was considered a potential first-round pick, Klubnik slipped to the fourth round, where the Jets traded up and selected him with the 110th pick. He's likely to be their No. 3 quarterback.

Reflecting on the past year, Klubnik said he's "thankful," claiming the adversity will make him a better pro.

"[Clemson] is a tough place to be," he 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.'"

Klubnik played with ankle and right-wrist injuries in 2025, saying he was "pretty much limping into every game." The ankle caused him to miss one game, ending his 34-game starting streak. He said it hurt so much that he was "taking the elevator up to meetings every day because you can't walk up the stairs, and shoot it up [with a pain-killing injection]."

"For me, I think that I really learned how to truly face adversity and just attack it."

Klubnik impressed in the two-day minicamp, organizing a players-only walk-through at the team hotel Thursday and Friday night. The first one occurred in the hotel's fitness room, which was so cramped that the receivers' pass routes were only 3 yards, Klubnik said half-jokingly.

"There's not really anything else to do but study ball, so let's get together, walk through a few routes," Klubnik said.

His rookie class includes tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., both drafted in the first round. Cooper called Klubnik "a really energetic guy. He loves to have conversations. He can spin it, so that's a guy I feel like I'm going to cling to." In practice, Klubnik connected with Sadiq on a couple of downfield passes.

Quarterback Geno Smith is the undisputed starter for 2026. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess. There's no heir apparent on the roster. Perhaps that player will arrive via the 2027 draft. For now, Klubnik will get a chance to show he belongs.

"[He's] a really smart man, so I don't think he's swimming as much as you probably think he is, and that's a lot because of the way the coaches are teaching them," coach Aaron Glenn said. "But listen, we're going to push the envelope with that player and see exactly where he's at and how he's going to be able to operate with our offense."br/]