Jets Officially Enter Longest Playoff Drought in Pro Sports

The New York Jets have now officially gone 14 years without making the playoffs, which is an active record for the NFL.

The embarrassment doesn’t stop there, though: it is an active record for virtually all major American professional sports leagues, including the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the WNBA.

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The Jets’ playoff hopes were officially extinguished in a gut-wrenching 32-26 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins, a game they had been on the brink of winning.

With just seconds left in regulation, New York had driven deep into Dolphins territory, setting up what appeared to be a game-winning field goal. However, after exchanging field goals to end regulation, the game took a devastating turn in overtime.

Miami received the ball first, and Tua Tagovailoa led the Dolphins downfield, capping the drive with a touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith, who had been silent throughout regulation but caught three crucial passes on the decisive possession.

The Jets (3-10) were eliminated from playoff contention, while the Dolphins (6-7) kept their postseason hopes alive.

The loss marked the Jets’ fourth consecutive defeat and their ninth in the last 10 games, extending their streak of futility in Miami to nine straight losses. Despite holding an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Jets once again failed to finish strong, sealing their fate and ending any hopes of a late-season rally.

This loss makes the Jets the team to go longest without making the playoffs in active professional leagues, which has to sting even more than the other major losses of the season.

To be fair, the season has been an extraordinarily chaotic one for the Jets and it is difficult to imagine any team performing well under the circumstances. In late November, the team fired general manager Joe Douglas, just six weeks after dismissing head coach Robert Saleh.

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To fill the void, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was promoted to interim head coach, where he wasted no time reshuffling the coaching staff. He demoted offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and promoted Todd Downing to offensive play-caller, hoping to spark some life into a struggling offense.

In an effort to ignite the offense, the Jets made a major move by acquiring Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders, which has not paid off quite as well as they might have hoped. However, owner Woody Johnson had considered even bolder changes earlier in the season, as the team struggled to find its rhythm.

After a dismal 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4, Johnson reportedly floated the idea of benching Aaron Rodgers in favor of Tyrod Taylor, citing concerns that Rodgers’ performance was hindering the team’s progress.

While the organization has denied these rumors, the team’s current 14-year losing streak will likely cause some shakeups for next season and it’s anyone guess whether Rodgers will stick around in 2025.

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