Jets delay signing a veteran QB as they wait to see what rookie Cade Klubnik can do

The Jets have four quarterbacks on the roster. Beyond once-and-current starter Geno Smith, there are major questions about the depth chart.

They added Bailey Zappe, who has nine career starts between stints with New England and Cleveland, after the 2025 season. They have Brady Cook, who started four games last year as an undrafted rookie.

And they added fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik, who slid to round four after entering the 2025 college football season as a potential first-round draft pick.

As explained by Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets want to see what Klubnik can do in the upcoming OTAs before possibly adding a more established veteran backup.

They’ve met with Russell Wilson, who says he’s weighing an offer with the Jets against an opportunity at CBS. (To date, he has accepted neither.)

Klubnik, as Cimini notes, looked good at the rookie minicamp. It will be a tougher test during practices including veteran players. If he passes, the Jets could eventually decide to make him the primary understudy to Smith for 2026.

Which would lay the foundation for Klubnik eventually becoming the starter for the Jets.