New York Jets rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik walked into his first NFL action and handled it like a player who wasn’t interested in the moment getting too big.
Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Clemson product completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards and helped the Jets put together two scoring drives in his debut. For a first taste of preseason football, it was a clean enough showing to give the team something to build on.
Klubnik said the poise was part of his game from the start.
"Although I'm a young player, I think that I'm poised," Klubnik said. "We put some drives together, that was fun and, you know, I still made some mistakes out there. Being able to learn from those and respond from those quickly and have my teammates kind of have my back whenever those did happen, that was good to see."
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn liked what he saw, especially given how little Klubnik had worked with the first-team offense before kickoff. Klubnik opened by completing his first three passes before missing a short throw to the left side.
The Jets needed him in the first place because starter Geno Smith was ruled out with an injury, and Klubnik became only the third rookie quarterback in franchise history to start a preseason opener.
His road to New York has already taken a few turns. Entering the 2025 college football season, Klubnik was viewed as one of the top names for the 2026 draft, but after he and Clemson struggled, his stock dropped. The Jets still used the 110th overall pick on him in the 2026 draft.
Even with that fall, Klubnik has made no secret of how he sees himself.
"In my mind, I'm a winner," Klubnik said at 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."
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