Quarterback Justin Fields struggled throughout the 2025 season, and his inconsistent play has raised serious questions about the New York Jets’ long-term plans at quarterback.
With expectations growing and results failing to match them, pressure is beginning to build on head coach Aaron Glenn to find stability on offense. As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, projections suggest the Jets could move on from Fields and target a college quarterback who accounted for 90 total touchdowns.
Jets Could Move On From Justin Fields With Eyes on 90-TD QB in 2026 NFL Draft
Per the latest NFL Mock Draft by Jacob Infante of PFSN, Cade Klubnik of the Clemson Tigers could land on the New York team to replace veteran QB Fields.
Clemson quarterback Klubnik finished his college career with exactly 90 total touchdowns, throwing for 73 passing scores while adding 17 rushing touchdowns on the ground across four seasons.
He completed 916 of 1,432 passes for 10,123 passing yards with 24 interceptions, posting a 64.0 completion percentage and a 136.8 passer rating in 49 career appearances. Klubnik also rushed for 878 yards, finishing with 11,001 total yards of offense during his time at Clemson.
On a year-by-year basis, Klubnik threw for 697 yards and 2 touchdowns as a freshman in 2022 before taking a leap in 2023 with 2,844 passing yards and 19 touchdowns.
Additionally, his breakout came in 2024, when he passed for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns, with just 6 interceptions and a 148.2 passer rating. He followed that with 2,943 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a 60.1 QBR in 2025, while also contributing with his legs throughout his college career. But why would the Jets and Glenn move on from a veteran QB like Fields?
The biggest reason the Jets could consider moving on from Justin Fields is the lack of consistent growth as a passer, something that becomes difficult to overlook when evaluating long-term offensive sustainability.
In 2025, Fields once again struggled to deliver steady production through the air, particularly in timing-based concepts and intermediate throws that modern offenses rely on to stay on schedule.
His passing QBR remained among the lower tier of starting quarterbacks, while his completion percentage and third-down efficiency continued to fluctuate week to week. For a team trying to compete in a loaded AFC, that kind of volatility at quarterback can stall overall offensive development.
That is where Klubnik’s statistical profile begins to stand out. Across his college career at Clemson, Klubnik completed 916 of 1,432 passes for 10,123 yards with 73 passing touchdowns and just 24 interceptions, finishing with a 64.0 completion rate and a 136.8 passer rating.
He also added 878 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, bringing his total to 11,001 yards of offense and 90 total touchdowns. More importantly, his 2024 campaign demonstrated high-level efficiency, with 3,639 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a 148.2 passer rating.
From a roster-building standpoint, drafting Klubnik would also give the Jets a cost-controlled quarterback with dual-threat ability similar to Fields. But with stronger ball security and decision-making trends in a structured offense.
His collegiate interception rate and touchdown-to-turnover ratio suggest a quarterback capable of executing a balanced system, which could appeal to Glenn as he seeks to build a more stable, efficient offensive identity moving forward.
