Jets have seemingly made Cade Klubnik decision

Throughout the offseason, the question of whether or not second-year New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn would have rookie and fourth-round draft pick Cade Klubnik serve as the club's primary backup quarterback behind veteran starter Geno Smith has hovered over the franchise. 

Jets reporters Rich Cimini of ESPN and Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News both suggested that Klubnik has won the team's QB2 job.

Jets have "doubled down" on being in the Cade Klubnik business?

"You knew there was an affinity for the former Clemson star when they traded up 18 spots to draft him in the fourth round, but they doubled down by not bringing in a seasoned quarterback for the No. 2 job," Cimini wrote. "They made it Klubnik's job to lose...and he hasn't. Not in emphatic fashion, though." 

Klubnik looked sharp as he led the Jets on a pair of scoring drives and completed 5-of-7 passes for 56 yards in the club's preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 14. In the 17-0 win at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 21, he connected on 10-of-14 pass attempts for 75 yards. He also recorded a 16-yard carry.

"Klubnik appears set to be the Jets’ backup quarterback, at least in the immediate future," Staley explained. 

Why Jets' Cade Klubnik decision could matter a lot for Aaron Glenn

Smith has had somewhat of an up-and-down summer, and the 35-year-old committed the second-most turnovers in the NFL last season (18) while with the Las Vegas Raiders. Meanwhile, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Jets tied for third among the betting favorites at +850 odds to finish the upcoming campaign with the fewest wins in the league as of Tuesday. 

"The decision to go with a middle-round rookie for such an important job carries a lot of risk, especially for a head coach who needs to win games in a potential make-or-break season," Cimini added. 

Glenn likely will find himself in danger of losing his job if he has to turn to his QB2 for any reason during the first half of the 2026 season. For better or worse, Glenn seems comfortable with having Klubnik be Gang Green's first-choice backup for the regular-season opener at the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 13.