Many believed that the New York Jets were made into Super Bowl contenders when Aaron Rodgers came aboard in 2023. But a second-straight disappointing season has resulted in them missing the playoffs all together, and they have extended the longest postseason-less streak in North American professional sports.
Jets Miss The Playoffs For 14th Straight Season
The Jets came into Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins facing official elimination. Rodgers did everything he could to keep his team alive, including throwing for 300+ yards for the first time since December 2021, and New York took a 26-23 lead with 0:52 second left. But Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins were able to force overtime and score a touchdown on the first possession, sending the Jets to 3-10 and ending any sliver of hope.
It has been a rough decade and a half for the Jets. They enjoyed two of their most successful seasons in recent memory in 2009 and 2010, which resulted in AFC Championship game appearances. But they have been blanked in their efforts to simply return to the playoffs ever since, and are now at 14 straight years of missing out.
With their loss today, the #Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention pic.twitter.com/rTs3oDOeft
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 8, 2024
It is not only the longest active streak in the NFL, but the longest of any team in the four major sports. The Sacramento Kings held that title for years, with their postseason hiatus lasting a brutal 17 seasons, but that streak was snapped back in 2023. The Buffalo Sabres are the NHL team with the longest current streak at 13 years, and the Los Angeles Angels hold the title in the MLB at 10 straight playoff misses.
The last time the Jets qualified for the postseason, Rex Ryan still had four years left of being their head coach. Mark Sanchez was their quarterback, and LaDanian Tomlinson was their leading rusher.
Rodgers and his team have some important decisions to make this off-season. The quarterback must first decide on whether he would like to continue his NFL career, and then the two sides will have to evaluate their relationship. Rodgers has already said that should he come back in 2025, he would be open to doing so in New York or elsewhere. The dominoes would then begin to fall, and the team would then have to address the situations of guys like Davante Adams.
With nothing left to play for, there is a possibility that the Jets shut Rodgers down for the rest of the season. They have now lost 9 of their last 10 games, and still have tough games against the Bills, Rams, and Dolphins coming up.
