The New York Jets are not playing right now, but they still managed to gain an unwanted distinction thanks to someone else’s efforts on Saturday.
The Buffalo Sabres officially clinched their first playoff appearance since 2011 on Saturday, ending a 14-year drought. It has been the longest playoff drought of any professional sports team.
That title now falls to the Jets, who had been sharing the honors. The Jets last made the playoffs during the 2010 season, when they lost in the AFC Championship to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Jets are now in sole possession for the longest playoff drought in the big 4 sports leagues 😭 pic.twitter.com/beHl17xdWR
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 4, 2026
The drought is a perfect example of the Jets’ issues, but they obviously run much deeper than that. Over the last 15 years, the Jets have dealt with a number of negative, unflattering stories, and it never seems to get better. In a league where nearly half the teams make the postseason in any given year, going as long without a playoff appearance as the Jets have seems almost impossible.
There is not much optimism that the Jets are going to break their drought in 2026, though they will have a new quarterback. Perhaps they have an unlikely turnaround in their future. More likely, however, they will have another rough season as part of their extended rebuild.
