In recent years, we’ve seen long playoff droughts end in professional sports. In 2022, the longest drought at the time in all of sports was ended after the Seattle Mariners reached the playoffs for the first time since 2001. The Philadelphia Phillies also ended a drought of their own last season, making their first trip since 2011.
This year, what became the longest drought in sports following the Mariners also came to an end when the Sacramento Kings went dancing for the first time since 2006. So now the longest drought belongs to…the New York Jets at 12 seasons (technically they’re tied with the Buffalo Sabres).
However, with the Jets finally acquiring quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers, the expectation, or even just the bare minimum, is to end that 12-year drought. And in the words of All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, that task should be “easy”.
Gardner appeared on the “Slow News Day” podcast with Kevin Clark of The Ringer and was asked about that task.
I asked Sauce Gardner today if the Jets were going to make the playoffs with Aaron Rodgers and end the longest playoff drought in American sports. His answer was, uh, pretty direct. 👀 All this on tomorrow's Slow News Day. Plus Jets defense talk, draft talk and @CallofDuty. pic.twitter.com/KdQBXnFVvx
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) April 25, 2023
“Most definitely,” Sauce said when asked does the drought end this year. “We were a playoff team last year, we just didn’t finish like we were supposed to.”
Sauce added: “But with A-Rod joining and a few more new pieces, it just makes it easy.”
The Jets were in a position early in the season in 2022 to make the playoffs. They started 5-2 before the injuries to Breece Hall and Alijah Vera-Tucker. They would lose eight of their last ten games including the last six. This year, it’s a fresh start and just making the playoffs now isn’t enough for the Jets. They want to compete for a Super Bowl title. With pieces like Gardner leading the defense and now Rodgers on offense, the Jets should not only compete for their first playoff appearance since the 2010 season but also for their first AFC East title since 2002.
