For years, it felt like the New York Jets didn’t have a clue about how to develop quarterbacks. Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, and even Mark Sanchez, arguably, were thrust into the starting lineups before they were ready.
The results, and the subsequent 15-year playoff drought, speak for themselves.
Under head coach Aaron Glenn, general manager Darren Mougey, and offensive coordinator Frank Reich, it appears that the Jets are learning from their mistakes. Not only did the team avoid forcing a 2026 NFL draft pick on a signal-caller, but it also has a plan for the current room.
And that includes new rookie signal-caller Cade Klubnik out of Clemson.
Klubnik stands out
No quarterback will exude perfection when they first walk into an NFL building. As a fourth-round pick, Klubnik was brought in to be a developmental arm for Reich and the offense.
Rookie minicamp is a chance for him to operate the offensive scheme for the first time and gel with some of his new teammates, like first-round picks Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr.
Through it all, New York has a plan to get Klubnik up to speed.
“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,” Glenn said. “He was a guy we targeted, we’re happy that we got him, and look forward to seeing him come to training camp and things like that.”
Glenn’s comments reflect key aspects of Reich’s offense. The veteran play-caller has coached taller quarterbacks with big arms for most of his career.
Pay no mind to stature
Klubnik, at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, is considered one of the smaller quarterbacks to work under Reich. That doesn’t mean the former quarterback isn’t high on the youngster.
“I’m a competitor, and I love making people around me better, too, though, so I’m excited to get in that room and go to work,” Klubnik said after he was drafted in April. “I already told Coach Reich, send me the playbook tonight. So, I’m excited to go to work and excited to show everybody who Cade Klubnik is. I think my best ball is ahead of me.”
The Jets are not going to force Klubnik on the field in his rookie year. A potential signing of a veteran quarterback will only enhance that belief.
New York’s expectations for Klubnik won’t be that of a savior or a potential starter. His draft status doesn’t allow for that very point. But perhaps that’s what makes Clemson quarterback the kind of leader the Jets have needed for years.
