Rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik, a surprise starter after QB1 Geno Smith was ruled out with a sore ankle, led the Jets to a pair of scores in the first quarter in the Green & White' 24-16 loss against Tampa Bay in the preseason opener for both teams on Friday night at MetLife Stadium.
"Just being able to maybe be in a really unique situation, a unique game, and put some drives together," Klubnik said about being the starter. "That was fun, and you know I still made some mistakes out there. And being able to learn from those and respond from those quickly, and have my teammates kind of have my back whenever those did happen.
"That was good to see, and you know Josh Myers and Joe Tippmann and Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Breece Hall, like just the way that they kind of encouraged me pregame, in between drives, during the game, during drives, that that filled with me with a lot of confidence."
Klubnik, selected by the Jets in Round 4 (No. 110 overall) out of Clemson in April's NFL Draft, took the Jets to Cade York's 37-yard field goal on their first series when he completed 4-of-5 passes for 51 yards (8.5 per) on a drive that used 12 plays to cover 65 yards in 6:05. Klubnik, the third rookie to start at QB in a preseason game in Jets history, showed good poise on consecutive completions -- first to TE Mason Taylor for 7 yards and then on a rocket to WR Garrett Wilson over the middle for 21 yards.
After Smith sustained the ankle injury during the joint practice with the Bucs, Glenn said : "I went right to Cade and told him that he would be the starter, which he was champing at the bit to be able to do, getting a chance to go with the ones [starters]. So, I thought he did a hell of a job, not getting a lot of rep with the ones. So, I give him a lot of credit for going out there and operating the way that he did."
Later on the drive, Klubnik again found Wilson for 11 yards to the Bucs' 23-yards line. On the next play, RB Breece Hall took a handoff, cut down the left flank, but stumbled as he appeared to be headed for the end zone. The Jets' drive stalled when Klubnik's pass in the back of the end zone sailed over Wilson's outstretched arms.
After Tampa Bay punted on its next series, Klubnik completed one pass, 5 yards to rookie Omar Cooper Jr. on the right flank, before RB Braelon Allen, who is returning from a knee injury that derailed his 2025 season, carried three straight times -- 8 yards, 4 and a 31-yard scamper into the end zone for a 10-0 Jets lead with 2:51 left in the opening quarter.
"I mean, when we watched him in college, he was the same way," Glenn said. "Nothing changes. He has some moxie to him. He's very confident. He's confident in his arm. He's confident in his ability to elude and make plays with his feet, and his ability to be able to come out and operate with the first group the way he did, to me I thought was outstanding. So still some things that he has to learn, some mistakes that he made in the game. But listen, he's going to be quick to correct those."
It's early, but it certainly looked like Klubnik, who started more than 40 games for Clemson, has been there before.
Overall, the rookie QB was 5-of-7 passing for 56 yards (6.8 per) and a healthy 94.9 rating in a balanced attack as Hall and Allen added 57 rush yards.
After the game, Klubnik did his best to keep things in perspective, but he was candid about his excitement at the opportunity, which cancelled out any jitters.
"Obviously, there's big moments, but for me, I've always just loved football, and I love the game, and I get so excited," he said. "And everybody gets nerves, everybody gets butterflies. But for me, I just feel like I've always been really excited to play the game. And you train all year long, and you only get so many opportunities to really put the pads on, put the helmet on, and really go play. And for me, just my whole life I've just been really excited on game days. I've never really been really nervous. I've just been really excited to be able to go play, and I feel like that maybe kind of counters the nerves sometimes. ... If that makes sense."
