Cade Klubnik's Summer with Jets Just Took On Bigger Meaning

It's over. The Brendan Sorsby saga is all over for the summer.

And no one should be happier about it than New York Jets' fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik.

The NFL turned heads Tuesday afternoon with a letter to Sorsby's representation that the supplemental draft would not be held this year, leaving the Texas Tech quarterback without a team to play for in 2026.

It's the first time in years the NFL has chosen to forego the supplemental draft with a player waiting for his opportunity. Prospects like Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor, and Ahmad Brooks were all given the chance to be taken by teams with the extra selection process. Sorsby's admittance to sports betting, though, makes this a different case: one the NFL will not blink at as gambling becomes more mainstream.

The intricacies behind Sorsby's case are complex. For the Jets, it adds another talented quarterback to the 2027 draft class along with popular names like Arch Manning, Dante Moore and many others.

In the end, though, the Jets were always going to be in the market for a QB in 2027.

What happens to their fourth-round pick, though, is what makes the NFL's ruling even more important.

Cade Klubnik impacted most by NFL's Sorsby ruling

New York has not named a backup quarterback behind Geno Smith. The veteran quarterback may have his own legal battles to deal with in the near future.

But as the team sets its sights on training camp, the competition behind Smith remains something of a mystery. Cade Klubnik, as the prized rookie selection by offensive coordinator Frank Reich and quarterback coach Bill Musgrave, will have his chance to earn the job.

"He's coming in every single day; he's ready to rock and roll," Musgrave said. "His Pro Day, he might've ran 4.57, so he can move. ... He's got a lot of athletic skills, and we'll try to harness them and have him get good at this football thing at the pro level."

He'll need to beat out Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook in order for that to happen, though.

The Sorsby case certainly helps Klubnik, though. Had the NFL allowed a supplemental draft to take place, the Jets would have been one of the teams expected to target the college signal-caller. Giving up a fourth or even a third-round pick made plenty of sense as well for a team without a proven long-term answer at the position.

The NFL's ruling takes that away from them, though. And the team isn't really complaining. They have remained steadfast in their belief that Klubnik, Zappe, and Cook are more than capable of filling that backup job.

"We’re always going to create competition when it comes to that," Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said last week. "Those guys are going to continue to compete. I would never sit here at this time of the year and say, OK, this guy’s going to be our backup quarterback."

Before a back injury claimed the latter part of OTAs and minicamp, Klubnik looked like the most competent backup option for the Jets this season. His accuracy was solid, his arm strength didn't look to be as big an issue as initially perceived, and the moment didn't look too bright for him either.

He has a good a chance as anyone to win the backup job.

Had Sorsby been allowed to play in the NFL, that may not have been the case. It would have been another arm for Klubnik to compete against, a player whom scouts believed was better than him throughout the 2026 season.

Instead, Klubnik has a sole chance to prove to the Jets he's worth more than a late-round gamble. He has a chance to show that he belongs in the NFL for years to come.

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