The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt believes the Jets’ decision to “slow-play” their pursuit of another veteran option is an indication they’re giving Cade Klubnik “the chance” to win the backup quarterback job.

12 May 2026

(Deep sigh.) “The word ‘“aura”’ has been thrown around — including by running back Breece Hall — after a slo-mo video of Klubnik walking out to practice on Thursday,” Rosenblatt writes. Klubnik also gathered Jets rookies at the team hotel to run through plays in a weight room even though the receivers were running “three-yard routes” in Klubnik’s words. We suppose there’s a low bar for excitement on the Jets quarterback front. It’s plausible that Klubnik rebounds from a down final season at Clemson that claimed the draft stock of both himself and several of his teammates. We’d be surprised if he made a real push to play this year without injuries ahead of him.