The New York Jets thought their quarterback woes were solved a couple years ago when they successfully brought in veteran Aaron Rodgers.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, as Rodgers suffered a devastating injury in his first game with the club and missed the entire 2023 season. In 2024, Rodgers performed well, but he wasn’t his vintage self, and the Jets finished with a 5-12 record anyway.
This offseason, the team moved on from the veteran and signed Justin Fields in free agency. Fields is an interesting player, as the passer was a first-round pick in 2021 and has shown flashes of excellence.
Fields never got it together with the Chicago Bears, though, and tried his luck with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. Unfortunately for Fields, he was unable to hold off Russell Wilson for the starting job, and decided to try his luck on a third team this offseason.
However, not everybody is convinced that the third time will be the charm for Fields. In fact, Lou Scataglia of NFL Spin Zone has the Jets selected Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Regarding that potential selection, Scataglia offered the following:
Four-straight QBs to begin the 2026 NFL Draft would be crazy, but Justin Fields is not a franchise QB and is going to get replaced at some point. The pick for the Jets is Cade Klubnik from Clemson.
As Scataglia mentioned, the top of the 2026 draft could be loaded with quarterbacks. Klubnik, LaNorris Sellers, Arch Manning, and Garrett Nussmeier are all thought of highly in scouting circles, so the Jets will likely have competition for a new passer.
If Fields struggles in 2025, it’s not hard to imagine the team having a top pick again. Also, Fields only signed a two-year contract, so it would be reasonable for the team to draft a passer regardless of how Fields performs.
Klubnik is a former top recruit who has excelled for the Clemson Tigers so far. In 2024, the quarterback threw for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns and six interceptions. The passer completed 63.4% of his passes and led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff.
Klubnik has a strong arm and deceptive athleticism. In 2024, the quarterback rushed for 463 yards and seven scores and ended with a 104.4 passer rating from Pro Football Focus.
Jets fans probably don’t want to see another poor season, but it could all be worth it if the team is able to finally land another franchise quarterback.
