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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 March 2026, at least one franchise hasn't made the playoffs in at least nine years.
Here are the longest active playoff droughts in sports — the teams that haven't had much to play for over the last decade.
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Longest playoff droughts in sports
There are six teams among the four major American sports leagues that have not made the playoffs in at least nine years.
T-5. Detroit Red Wings, NHL (9 years)
Detroit Red Wings IMAGN 032326
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. The Red Wings last made the Stanley Cup playoffs in the 2015-16 season, when they lost to Boston in the first round after winning 41 regular-season games.
That year was the tail-end of a decades-long run of success for Detroit. The Red Wings made the playoffs in every season from 1990-91 to 2015-16, including four Stanley Cup Final victories and another two appearances. But slowly, the Red Wings' success slowed down.
Under coaches Jeff Blashill, Derek Lalonde and Todd McLellan, the Red Wings haven't been able to break through in the late 2010s and early 2020s. It hasn't all been bad, as they had a winning record in 2024-25 and 2023-24, but Detroit is certainly itching for competitive action on the ice to return.
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T-5. Charlotte Hornets, NBA (9 years)
LaMelo Ball Charlotte Hornets
Last Playoff Appearance: 2015-16
Last Playoff Result: Lost in first round to Heat
Playoff Drought: 9 years
Basketball in Charlotte has had a tough few decades. In 1988-89, the Hornets joined the NBA as an expansion team. But in 2002, they relocated to New Orleans, later rebranding as the Pelicans in 2013. So, the NBA had a squad return to Charlotte in 2004-05, the most recent expansion team for the league, originally named the Bobcats, then returning to the Hornets name a decade later.
All that off-the-floor franchise turmoil for years hasn't yet been overcome to be a consistent winner. The Hornets have fielded some competitive rosters over the years, but most of their success came in the 1990s before relocating — names like Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Glen Rice and Baron Davis made Charlotte a threat.
Since 2015-16, however, the Hornets haven't been in the NBA Playoffs despite a usually-weak Eastern Conference. Kemba Walker last led Charlotte to the postseason as the franchise's star, but he's now long-been retired. The likes of LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and more haven't been able to break the drought yet — although the 2025-26 season could be promising, with the Hornets surging in the second half.
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4. Pittsburgh Pirates, MLB (10 years)
Paul Skenes Pirates
Last Playoff Appearance: 2015
Last Playoff Result: Lost NL Wild Card to Cubs
Playoff Drought: 10 years
The Pirates own a long, storied history in baseball, going all the way back to the 19th century. They own five championships, have had some of the game's biggest stars like Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, Barry Bonds and Andrew McCutchen, but recent history has not been kind to Pittsburgh.
It's been 27 years since the team's last World Series title (1979), 34 years since its last NLCS berth (1992), 13 years since reaching the NLDS (2013) and 10 full seasons since last making the playoffs in 2015.
The Pirates have endured some miserable years since then. In five of those seasons, they finished last in the NL Central. Only once, in 2018, have they had a record over .500, and Pittsburgh has consistently been one of the lowest spenders in MLB.
Recently, there's been some renewed hope for Pirates fans in the form of 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. The franchise is eyeing more immediate contention with its ace, but he won't be able to break the drought alone.
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3. Los Angeles Angels, MLB (11 years)
Last Playoff Appearance: 2014
Last Playoff Result: Lost in ALDS to Royals
Playoff Drought: 11 years
The talent that has gone through the Los Angeles Angels organization in the last decade, namely being two future Hall of Famers, would make you think the team has been an annual World Series contender.
Mike Trout, a three-time MVP and one of the greatest outfielders of all-time, has spent his entire career with the Angels since 2011. Shohei Ohtani picked the Angels as an international free agent in 2018, winning two MVP awards with L.A. as a megastar two-way player. Neither of them, nor players like Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, Anthony Rendon, Albert Pujols and more, have been able to life the Angels to the postseason.
Notably, the Angels have made just one postseason appearance in Trout's historic career: 2014. And that year, they failed to win a game against the Royals in the ALDS. The last time Los Angeles won a postseason game was in 2009.
The most Ohtani and Trout were able to do together is keep the Angels hovering around .500. Otherwise, they've consistently been one of the American League's worst squads for over a decade.
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2. Buffalo Sabres, NHL (14 years)
Buffalo Sabres
Morgan Tencza - Imagn Images
Last Playoff Appearance: 2010-11
Last Playoff Result: Lost in first round to Flyers
Playoff Drought: 14 years
Nothing is official yet — but this is a playoff drought that appears set to be snapped very soon. The Buffalo Sabres, after 14 years, have enjoyed a resurgent 2025-26 season and are on-track for an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The last time Buffalo made the playoffs was in 2011, when the team was led by Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford, Jason Pominville and more. The Sabres fell to Philadelphia in the quarterfinals; it was their fifth playoff appearance of the 21st century. That number remains at five.
Buffalo has had three winning seasons since 2011, but none resulted in a playoff berth. But with Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch leading the way, the Sabres have held onto the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed throughout 2025-26. Barring a collapse, they'll snap their drought.
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1. New York Jets, NFL (15 years)
Rodgers Jets 110624
Last Playoff Appearance: 2010
Last Playoff Result: Lost AFC Championship Game to Steelers
Playoff Drought: 15 years
No franchise's fans have had it worse than the Jets in the last decade.
Year-in and year-out, there hasn't been much reason for hope for New York. The Jets have cycled through coaches, quarterbacks and big-name draft picks, none of whom could bring the team back to the playoffs.
The last time New York made the playoffs was actually a strong run — Mark Sanchez's Jets reached the AFC Championship Game in 2010, where they lost to the Steelers, 24-19. Even the next year, 2011, wasn't all that bad, with the Jets finishing 8-8.
Only one time since then has New York finished an NFL season with a winning record, when it went 10-6 in 2015 but finished second in the AFC East. But the rest of the 15-year playoff drought has brought eight last-place division finishes and nine seasons with five wins or less.
The Jets have tried different voices and strategies. Rex Ryan, Todd Bowles, Adam Gase, Robert Saleh and Aaron Glenn haven't worked out at head coach. Sanchez, Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown, Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and even future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers haven't been able to get the Jets over the top at quarterback.
Every year has been a rebuilding year for the Jets lately. And as long as they're in a division with Josh Allen and Drake Maye, it will remain difficult for New York to return to the playoffs.
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Longest playoff droughts in NFL
Here are the longest active NFL playoff droughts:
Rank Team Last Playoff Appearance Drought (Seasons)
1 New York Jets 2010 15
2 Atlanta Falcons 2017 8
T-3 Indianapolis Colts 2020 5
T-3 New Orleans Saints 2020 5
T-5 Las Vegas Raiders 2019 4
T-5 Arizona Cardinals 2019 4
T-5 Tennessee Titans 2019 4
The Jets easily own the longest NFL playoff drought, the only team with a double-digit streak of seasons without a playoff appearance.
However, there are some relative surprises on the list, considering the solid talent teams like the Colts, Falcons and Saints have had in recent years. Atlanta hasn't made the playoffs in eight years despite having Matt Ryan at quarterback for a few years, plus strong offensive weapons like Julio Jones, Bijan Robinson and Drake London. The Falcons have also been hovering around .500 yearly every year; during their eight-year playoff drought, seven of those seasons resulted in either seven or eight wins.
The Colts and Saints both last made postseason appearances in 2020, when Philip Rivers was the quarterback for Indianapolis and Drew Brees was in his final year for New Orleans. Coincidentally, Rivers made an unprecedented return to the Colts in 2026, when they were back in playoff contention, but ultimately missed out.
The Raiders, Cardinals and Titans all last made the playoffs in 2019.
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Longest playoff droughts in NBA
Here are the longest active NBA playoff droughts:
Rank Team Last Playoff Appearance Drought (Seasons)
1 Charlotte Hornets 2016 9
2 San Antonio Spurs 2019 6
T-3 Portland Trail Blazers 2021 4
T-3 Washington Wizards 2021 4
T-5 Utah Jazz 2022 3
T-5 Toronto Raptors 2022 3
T-5 Chicago Bulls 2022 3
In the NBA, the Hornets are the only team with a playoff drought of at least seven seasons. The play-in tournament has changed things a bit — some of these teams have competed for a playoff spot as a six-through-10 seed, but none of them were able to advance to the first round.
The second-longest NBA playoff drought is set to be broken in 2025-26. Victor Wembanyama is leading the Spurs to their first playoff appearance since 2019, when DeMar DeRozan was leading San Antonio following his trade from Toronto. That year, the Spurs lost in the first round to the Nuggets.
The Trail Blazers and Wizards both last made the playoffs in 2021, when Damian Lillard's huge series against the Nuggets wasn't enough to get past the first round, and the Bradley Beal-Russell Westbrook-led Wizards were taken down by the 76ers.
The Jazz, Raptors and Bulls all last made the playoffs in 2022.
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Longest playoff droughts in MLB
Here are the longest active MLB playoff droughts:
Rank Team Last Playoff Appearance Drought (Seasons)
1 Los Angeles Angels 2014 11
2 Pittsburgh Pirates 2015 10
3 Colorado Rockies 2018 7
4 Nationals 2019 6
5 Athletics 2020 5
Five MLB teams have playoff droughts of at least five seasons entering the 2026 campaign. Only the Pirates and Angels haven't been to the postseason in at least a decade.
Of the top droughts, the Rockies may still be the furthest from contention. It's been seven years since Colorado had postseason baseball, yet the Rockies lost 119 games in 2025 and are building talent from the ground-up. Colorado has had three consecutive 100-loss seasons, last making the playoffs in 2018 when it lost to the Brewers in the NLDS.
Interestingly, after the Nationals' last postseason game, they were celebrating a World Series title. Washington won Game 7 of the 2019 Fall Classic against the Astros, but has now failed to return to the postseason in the six seasons since then as the Nationals continue undergoing a rebuild.
As for the Las Vegas-bound Athletics, they won a playoff game against the Astros in 2020, but that was their lone postseason win since 2013. The A's made the playoffs in 2018, 2019 and 2020, but have had three seasons of at least 90 losses in the last four years.
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Longest playoff droughts in NHL
Here are the longest active NHL playoff droughts:
Rank Team Last Playoff Appearance Drought (Seasons)
1 Buffalo Sabres 2011 14
2 Detroit Red Wings 2016 9
3 Anaheim Ducks 2018 7
4 San Jose Sharks 2019 6
T-5 Chicago Blackhawks 2020 5
T-5 Columbus Blue Jackets 2020 5
T-5 Philadelphia Flyers 2020 5
Soon, this list will likely look different. In the 2025-26 season, the Sabres have been at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Ducks have been leading the Pacific Division, the Blue Jackets are tracking for a playoff spot, while the Red Wings and Flyers have been hanging around in Wild Card contention.
One thing's almost for sure: the Sabres will have a reason to celebrate once again. Buffalo, by far, has owned the NHL's longest playoff drought. If the Red Wings can't sneak into the field in 2026, they'll take over that title at 10 seasons, and the Sharks will likely be behind them at seven seasons.
Should the Ducks and Blue Jackets hold onto their playoff spots, Anaheim will be returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018, when the Ducks lost to the Sharks in the first round. Columbus, meanwhile, would be in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, when the Blue Jackets lost to the Lightning in the first round.
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