Former Clemsonfootball quarterback Cade Klubnik officially signed his rookie contract with the New York Jets on Thursday ahead of the organization’s rookie minicamp.
New York traded up 18 spots in the fourth round of April’s NFL Draft to select Klubnik with the No. 110 overall pick. The four-year rookie deal is reportedly worth around $5.5 million and includes roughly a $1.2 million signing bonus.
Klubnik was the fifth quarterback selected in this year’s draft, coming off the board after Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck and Drew Allar.
The Jets are expected to open the season with Geno Smith as the starter, but Klubnik enters a quarterback room that also includes veteran Bailey Zappe and second-year quarterback Brady Cook.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said the team wants strong competition at the position while continuing to support Smith as QB1.
“Obviously we brought in Geno to be our starter, and I’m not going to put a cap on him on how many years he can play, so I don’t even go into the fact of he’s here [signed] for a year,” Glenn said through the team website.
“As long as he’s producing, as long as he’s the best guy, he’s going to continue to play.
“But obviously, in this league, you got to have a system where there are backups and there are guys that are pushing the starter. You always want to create that type of competition. Listen, I’m not going to sit here and say exactly where Cade is going to play. The thing is, those guys can go out there and compete, you know? So right now, I like the room. I like where it’s at. The guys can continue to compete, and I don’t want to cap any of those guys as far as playtime, and how long are they going to play.”
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During his Clemson career, Klubnik appeared in 49 games and made 40 starts, throwing for 10,123 yards and 73 touchdowns while adding his name throughout the school’s record book.
He finished with more than 11,000 yards of total offense and left Clemson as the program’s all-time leader in pass completions and pass attempts.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Former Clemson star Cade Klubnik signs rookie contract New York Jets
