How likely are the Jets to snap their 16-year playoff drought in 2026?

The New York Jets have the NFL's longest-standing playoff drought, having not made the postseason since 2010.

To make matters worse, the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, who used to be tied with the Jets for the longest-standing playoff drought in North American sports, were able to break the streak and made a decent run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past spring.

New York City is buzzing right now after the New York Knicks broke their own long-standing championship drought, winning their first NBA title since 1973. Could there be something in the air in the Big Apple right now?

Jets fans should certainly hope so, and while it may seem like it's a long shot entering another year of another rebuild, crazier things have happened in the world of sports.

What are the Jets' odds of doing the unthinkable for the first time in 16 years and punching a ticket to the NFL playoffs?

Jets given middle-of-the-pack odds to snap 16-year playoff drought

NFL.com's Jeremy Bergman compiled a list of the seven NFL teams with the longest playoff droughts and ranked them based on how likely they are to finally break the drought.

He placed the Jets at No. 4 on the list, ahead of the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans, but behind the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints.

"In the NFL, where parity rules supreme, it's a statistical improbability for a team to go a decade and a half without making the playoffs, but don't tell Gang Green the odds. The odds of New York snapping the streak this year aren't high, but I like its chances better than that of some others. How the AFC's mid-tier squads perform after an offseason of coaching turnover will affect whether there's a runway for the Jets to land in the playoff race."

Jeremy Bergman

Middle of the pack odds for the Jets are better than what they're usually given, and it certainly has to do with the veteran additions they made this offseason.

The Jets had a distinct lack of veterans last season, especially after trading away Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner, and it was felt on the field.

With the additions of Geno Smith, Demario Davis, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Jets will have some more adults to help lead them when they're on the field, and it certainly should lead to more wins in 2026.

Will it lead to a playoff berth? Those odds still remain relatively unlikely. But a chance is a chance, and Jets fans would be over the moon if Aaron Glenn and company find a way to pull it off.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow