Jets stand alone with longest drought in 4 major North American sports

The New York Jets have the NFL's longest active playoff drought, having not cracked the postseason since 2010. And before today, they were typically tied with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres for the longest postseason drought in North America's four major sports leagues.

Not anymore. Buffalo broke their streak Saturday afternoon, clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and ending a drought that lasted 14 years.

The Jets made it 15 straight years without the postseason in 2025, and New York was probably hoping their hockey counterpart would join them, so they wouldn't be by themselves in the doldrums of their respective leagues.

Now, the Green & White are in a category of their own. Throughout the 124 sports franchises in North America, they stand alone as the most futile.

Jets hold the longest active playoff drought in North American sports

The playoff drought looms large over the Jets organization. It's something that head coach Aaron Glenn has spoken about at length since his first press conference in early 2025.

Besides the more recent drought, Glenn nearly made the Super Bowl as a Jet in 1998, and that's another weight he has to carry as a player-turned-coach. He spoke emotionally about it at the league owners' meetings.

"I want to leave a legacy, I do. When I'm gone, man, I'm looking at this team being a team that consistently puts themselves in a place to win. Every day. There's not a day, there's not an hour, there's not a minute I don't think about that."

Aaron Glenn

Glenn can get started on that legacy by finding a way to lead the Jets back to the playoffs, something that five head coaches, including himself, have failed to do since 2010.

It starts in 2026, where the Jets and their new-look roster will look to shock the NFL world. New York isn't expected to make the playoffs; their projected win total sits at about 5.5.

But every year, there's always a team that appears out of nowhere to snatch a playoff spot when it's least expected. After 15 years, isn't it time for the Jets to have a turn?