Geno Smith has seen a lot of quarterbacks in 13 NFL seasons. He likes what he is seeing from the Jets’ new fourth-round rookie.
Smith made the unexpected return to the New York Jets this offseason after the Las Vegas Raiders traded him to the team that drafted him back in 2013. With OTAs now in full swing, Smith is getting a long look at Cade Klubnik, the Clemson product the Jets selected in Round 4 of the 2026 NFL Draft. And Smith is not playing coy about what he has seen.
“He can spin the heck out of the ball,” Smith said of Klubnik, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. “I feel like he’s the guy who’s always prepared. He’s been preparing as if he’s going to be the starter. I’ve seen that from him. I think he’s got a bright future.”
That is high praise from a veteran who has no real reason to butter up a fourth-rounder. Smith is the projected starter in New York. Klubnik is, at most, competing for a backup job. There is no quarterback room politics at play here. If Smith says Klubnik can spin it, Klubnik can spin it.
The bigger question is whether Klubnik can do anything with the talent. He arrived at Clemson as a five-star recruit and one of the most decorated high school quarterbacks in Texas history. He had moments of brilliance with the Tigers, but the consistency never quite arrived. His final college season was respectable rather than spectacular, which is why he slipped to Round 4 when many evaluators had him as a second- or third-round prospect a year earlier.
The Jets, to their credit, were happy to grab him on Day 3. They needed quarterback depth and they got one with real arm talent and a chip on his shoulder. Klubnik will spend 2026 watching Smith run the show, soaking up an NFL playbook for the first time, and learning what it takes to be a pro. He could end up as the backup if he beats out Tyrod Taylor in camp. He could end up on the practice squad if he does not. Either way, the developmental runway is real.
Smith probably sees a little of himself in Klubnik, which might be why he is so generous with the praise. Smith was a second-round pick of the same Jets franchise back in 2013, expected to develop into a starter and then chewed up by the New York media when it did not happen overnight. It took him a decade to become the steady veteran he is today. He got cut, traded, benched and revived more times than most quarterbacks ever experience. Now he is back where it started, and he is trying to make sure the next Jets quarterback in line gets the support he never got.
The Jets quarterback room is not exactly playoff-caliber. Smith is 35 and on the back end of his prime. Klubnik is unproven. Backup competition will run through training camp. Head coach Aaron Glenn knows he needs Smith to play at a high level for this team to stay in the AFC East race.
But the long-term play matters too. If Klubnik develops into a real NFL quarterback over the next two or three seasons, the Jets might have lucked into something on Day 3 that lets them avoid the early-round quarterback chase next spring. Smith’s vote of confidence is a small piece of evidence that the bet might pay off. We will know more by August.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
