There are a few teams in the NFL who have some insanely long playoff-drought streaks. Which teams have the longest? You have to start feeling bad for these fanbases at this point. There has been a ton of dysfunction with the teams who have the longest playoff-drought streaks in the NFL.
And to the surprise of no one, they have had the most dysfunction at the quarterback position, which is no coincidence. There could be a few teams on this list who could find themselves back in the postseason in 2024, which would snap their brutally long postseason-drought streaks.
Which teams have the longest streaks in the NFL?
Which teams have the longest playoff-drought streaks in the entire NFL?
1. New York Jets - 13 years
The longest playoff-drought streak in the NFL belongs to the New York Jets, who last made the playoffs in the 2010 NFL Season. Ironically, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl that year. Could Aaron Rodgers help lead the Jets to the postseason in 2024? Well, if Rodgers is back and healthy, it would be their best team since last making the postseason.
The Jets have been among the worst teams in the NFL since last making the postseason and surely have a starving fanbase.
2. Denver Broncos - 8 years
At least in the last time the Denver Broncos made the postseason, they won the Super Bowl. Have they been cursed ever since winning Super Bowl 50? It was the last game of Peyton Manning's career, as he retired soon after the game. The Broncos have cycled through a ton of starting quarterbacks since the 2015 NFL Season.
They finally took a chance on a first-round rookie quarterback in Bo Nix. Perhaps Nix can finally usher in a new winning era for the Denver Broncos, whose playoff-drought streak is approaching 10 seasons.
3. Carolina Panthers - 6 years
The last time the Carolina Panthers made the playoffs, Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey were leading the charge. Newton is not in the NFL anymore and McCaffrey is still chugging along, but is on the San Francisco 49ers. The Panthers were a disaster in 2023, winning just two games, but their roster is considerably improved from their brutal 2023 season.
They still have an uphill battle to make the postseason in 2024, and it's not outrageous to think that the streak can hit at least seven seasons.
Tied 3. Atlanta Falcons - 6 years
Another team that has endured a six-year playoff-drought streak is the Atlanta Falcons, who also last made the postseason in 2017. Matt Ryan was still firmly entrenched as their starting quarterback. The Falcons have also been a bit irrelevant since last making the postseason, and have another version of Matt Ryan at QB now in Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons do have a talented roster, but do have a clear ceiling with Cousins playing QB. Atlanta should be able to win 10 games this year, so their six-year streak should come to an end.