New York Jets Take Lead for Longest Active Playoff Drought in Pro Sports

The New York Jets went into this season hoping to end their 13-year playoff drought, one that dates back to 2010.

Well, their 32-26 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday put an end to the Jets’ remaining hopes of a playoff berth. New York (3-10) was officially eliminated with the loss.

With that, the Jets extended their playoff drought to 14 seasons.

That’s not just bad. That’s in the lead.

Per ESPN, the Jets now have the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports, breaking a tie with an in-state franchise — the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres have the NHL’s longest playoff drought at 13 seasons, dating back to the 2010-11 season. So it’s possible the Jets may have company by April.

ESPN provided the top four franchises with a playoff drought in NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and the WNBA.

Behind the Jets and the Sabres are two MLB teams. The Los Angeles Angels are in the midst of a decade-long drought dating back to 2014. It’s part of the reason why their superstar, Shohei Ohtani, opted to move across town to join the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Behind the Angels are the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are in a nine-year drought and last went to the postseason in 2015.

New York has long since passed the longest playoff drought in franchise history, which was 11 years from 1970-80. That started two years after the Jets stunned all of pro football by winning Super Bowl III over the then-Baltimore Colts.

Before this streak, the Jets had a relatively strong stretch from 1998-2010 in which they went to the postseason eight times in 13 years, which included three trips to the AFC Championship Game in 1998, 2009 and 2010.

But, since then, New York has had just one winning season, which was in 2015 (10-6) and a pair of .500 seasons.

The build-up of frustration is part of what led Jets owner Woody Johnson to fire head coach Robert Saleh in Week 5 and general manager Joe Douglas last month.

New York has already partnered with The 33rd Team to begin vetting candidates for both jobs, with the idea that the search would gather speed after the season.

New York has four games left, with the next game set for next Sunday in Jacksonville, a game that could be key to where the Jets will select in the 2025 NFL draft.