For eight to nine months per year, the New York Jets and Buffalo Sabres shared the ignominious title of “longest active playoff drought in North American sports.”
No longer are they linked in infamy, as the Sabres clinched a playoff berth Saturday to snap their 14-year postseason drought — the longest in NHL history — with six games to spare.
The Jets are still going, at 15 years.
The latest official elimination for the Jets occurred last Dec. 7. The next day, the Sabres dropped their third straight game to fall to 11-14-4, seemingly on their way to a 15th straight season without a postseason berth.
What happened next was one of the greatest turnarounds in NHL history. The Sabres (46-22-8) are currently tied for first place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.
“I think we try to take a lot of pride in just representing the crest well, and that’s been fun and the city has been great,” goalie Alex Lyon told ESPN last week as they were closing in on postseason entry.
⚔️ THE BUFFALO SABRES ARE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS! ⚔️#LetsGoBuffalo | #sabrehood pic.twitter.com/qt4GZcfZwT
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 4, 2026
Maybe the Sabres will inspire the Jets, whose coach is on a mission to end the drought for a crest he once represented. Aaron Glenn made that clear 14 months ago in his introductory news conference, and he reiterated it at the recent NFL springs meetings in Phoenix earlier this week.
Glenn got emotional when asked how often he thinks about it. He almost made it to a Super Bowl as a Jets’ cornerback in 1998 and decided years later that he’d devote himself to leading them there as a coach.
So, yes, the drought remains at the forefront of his mind.
“I want to leave a legacy, I do,” said Glenn, who went 3-14 in his first season. “When I’m gone, man, I’m looking at this team being a team that consistently puts themselves in a place to win.”
His voice quivered and his eyes turned watery.
“Every day,” he continued. “There’s not a day, there’s not an hour, there’s not a minute I don’t think about that.”
The Jets still have a way to go before they make history.
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The longest drought in NFL history is 25 seasons by the Cardinals, from 1949 to 1974. The longest MLB slump since 1969 is 29 years by the Washington Nationals (formerly Montreal Expos), from 1982 to 2011. The Sacramento Kings own the NBA’s longest streak at 16 years, 2007 to 2022.
The Jets last made the postseason in 2010, when Rex Ryan was the coach and Mark Sanchez was the quarterback. They appeared to have sustainability, but things turned quickly.
“It’s a yearly thing,” running back Breece Hall said in December. “It definitely starts to weigh on you.”
The drought has touched many players. In fact, no fewer than 540 have suited up for at least one game with the Jets during the 15 playoff-less seasons, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Jets’ slump has spanned:
Five full-time head coaches: Ryan, Todd Bowles, Adam Gase, Robert Saleh and Aaron Glenn.
Five general managers: Mike Tannenbaum, John Idzik, Mike Maccagnan, Joe Douglas and Darren Mougey.
One owner: Woody Johnson.
The Jets’ record over the 15-year span is 86-160 (.347), 30th among 32 teams. The two teams below them, the Cleveland Browns (82-162-1) and Jacksonville Jaguars (82-163), both have multiple playoff appearances over the course of the Jets’ drought.
The great thing about sports is the unexpected. The Sabres, once in lockstep with the Jets, proved that.
“Everybody’s coming in trying to prove themselves, and we’re trying to prove as a team that we’re legit,” Sabres forward Alex Tuch said, explaining the team’s mindset. “We’re not just going to go for the playoffs. We’re going to go for the Cup and that’s our goal: Get better each and every day. That’s it. That’s the end goal. We’re not in here just to squeak in.”
