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Former Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik reacting after a college football game against South Carolina.

The most controversial selection from the 2026 NFL draft was when the New York Jets traded up to take Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Gang Green gave up a 2026 fourth rounder (No. 128 overall) and a 2026 fourth rounder (No. 140 overall) to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a 2026 fourth rounder (No. 110 overall) and a 2026 sixth rounder (No. 199 overall).

“On the surface, it seemed unnecessary to move up to get Klubnik at pick No. 110 when it seemed likely he would have been available at No. 128, where the Jets were going to pick next,” Brian Costello of the New York Post wrote.

“But the Jets believed there were two other teams that were targeting Klubnik, according to a source. They also knew that people around the NFL expected the Jets to draft a quarterback in the fourth round because they did not have a fifth- or sixth-round pick and the expectation was they would draft a quarterback on Day 3,” Costello explained.

Knowledge is power. Other teams in the league are constantly trying to figure out what teams need what and when they’d take certain positions.

It seemed fairly obvious that the Jets planned on snagging a developmental quarterback in the fourth round. If everyone knows that, it opens the door up for the Jets to get sniped.

Instead, the Jets took power into their own hands by aggressively moving up the board.

Jets Feared Another Team Was Lurking in the Shadows

The green and white really liked Klubnik. They had intel that other teams liked him, too.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed on the “Jets Collective” podcast that it isn’t a coincidence that the Jets traded one spot in front of the Denver Broncos in the fourth round to take Klubnik.

“Now, interestingly enough, they jumped right ahead of Denver … It turns out Cade Klubnik’s college roommate last year at Clemson was Caleb Nix, the younger brother of Bo Nix. So maybe Denver thinks they have a little inside intel there on the player … So [Darren] Mougey probably had some information from his old team, Denver,” Cimini explained.

Klubnik and Nix were teammates for the last four seasons (2022-25), according to Clemson’s bio page.

Jets Loved Klubnik

“The Jets wanted Klubnik after doing a good amount of work on him in the predraft process. They went to Clemson to work him out, and new offensive coordinator Frank Reich was high on Klubnik’s potential. The Jets expected Miami’s Carson Beck and Penn State’s Drew Allar to go in the third round, and they did. There was a drop off after Klubnik. The next quarterback taken was North Dakota State’s Cole Payton in the fifth round,” Costello wrote for the New York Post.

It seems like the Jets had the right temperature there based on how things played out.

Cimini shared a very similar sentiment from his contacts.

“This is a Frank Reich pick. Frank Reich fell in love with [Clemson QB Cade Klubnik]. He went down there, he worked him out, and he spent a lot of time with him. They had good interviews with him. The Jets felt like if we don’t get this quarterback now, there’s a big drop off until the next quarterback,” Cimini explained on the “Jets Collective” podcast.

The Jets have to do what’s best for business, not what the fans want. Gang Green taking Klubnik created some reactions on social media, but who cares? For the Jets, you take the player you love, have conviction about your selection, and then worry about the rest later.

If the Jets are right, no one is going to care about the headlines that were created a month after the draft.