Longest active playoff droughts in sports, from New York Jets in NFL to Pittsburgh Pirates in MLB
It's been a long time since these teams have had a competitive season.
Longest active playoff droughts in sports, from New York Jets in NFL to Pittsburgh Pirates in MLB originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . JUMP TO: Longest playoff droughts in sports Longest playoff droughts in NFL Longest playoff droughts in NBA Longest playoff droughts in MLB Longest playoff droughts in NHL The way most professional sports leagues are designed, no team is supposed to be "bad" for an extended period of time.
Systems like draft lotteries and salary caps are intended to bring competitive balance to leagues — but that doesn't mean they always bring the intended results of keeping every team in a cycle of playoff appearances. Some fans have been put through more misery than others, with their teams struggling to contend for a playoff spot over a long-term period, let alone a championship. While franchises like the NFL's New England Patriots, the MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers and the NBA's Boston Celtics have become synonymous with consistent playoff trips and success, others have become known for the exact opposite: annual seasons that become more about a draft slot than contention.
Across all four major sports leagues (NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB), as of April 2026, at least one franchise hasn't made the playoffs in at least nine years. The NHL's Buffalo Sabres recently snapped one of those extensive cold spells, set to return to the playoffs in 2026 for the first time in an NHL-record 14 seasons. Here are the longest active playoff droughts in sports — the teams that haven't had much to play for over the last decade.
MORE: The Sporting News' 140 greatest sports moments ever Longest playoff droughts in sports There are five teams among the four major American sports leagues that have not clinched a playoff spot in at least nine years. T-4. Detroit Red Wings, NHL (9 years) Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Last Playoff Appearance: 2015-16 Last Playoff Result: Lost in first round to Bruins Playoff Drought: 9 years It's been nearly a decade since Detroit enjoyed some playoff hockey.
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