Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers fielded questions about the team's 14-year playoff drought after Sunday's 32-26 overtime loss to the Dolphins guaranteed it would last another year.
“So here I am. I started the year, so I'm in it for the year,” Rodgers said. “That's a shame.”
Rogers is right. He's just one chapter in a dark cloud hanging over the Jets' franchise.
The drought is the longest in any major North American sport.
While other bad franchises like the Raiders, Jaguars, Panthers, Commanders, and Browns have found a way to make the playoffs at least once or twice, the Jets were the AFC champions in Pittsburgh after the 2010 season. Ever since he lost the ship game, he has been wandering in the desert.
Most of the current Jets feel like Rodgers, in that they have only been in the franchise battle for a short period of time.
Long snapper Thomas Hennessy is the longest-tenured Jet, joining the team in 2017.
CJ Mosley and Quinnen Williams joined the team in 2019 and are the longest-tenured players on offense or defense.
Coaches and players hear about the drought, even if they weren't involved in every loss.
It's always there, and it's always covered by the media and fans, season after season.
The anger and frustration built up over 14 years can overwhelm someone who has only been with the Jets for a year or two.
The 14-year drought is long, but it's nowhere near the longest in NFL history.
The Cardinals, like Washington (1946-70), missed the playoffs for 25 years (1949-73).
However, this was back in the days when free agency didn't exist and not many teams made the playoffs.
The Steelers lasted 24 years, from 1948 to 1971, and won four Super Bowls in the next 10 years. More recently, the Saints (1967-1986), Browns (2003-19) and Bills (2000-16) all went 17 years without making the playoffs.
The Bills are a shining example of the Jets turning things around in their division.
The combination of head coach Sean McDermott, quarterback Josh Allen and general manager Brandon Beane just won their fifth consecutive district title.
For the Jets, they have been searching for the right coach and quarterback to turn things around.
Rex Ryan (4 years), Todd Bowles (4 years), Adam Gase (2 years), Robert Saleh (3 years and 5 games), and Jeff Ulbrich (8 games) all have drought marks. are.
Rodgers is one of 15 starting QBs the Jets have had since their first non-playoff season in 2011.
Mark Sanchez, Greg McElroy and Ryan Fitzpatrick can now be seen on TV.
Geno Smith revived his career in Seattle.
Sam Darnold is doing the same thing with the Vikings, and his QB coach is fellow drought QB Josh McCown.
Rodgers is the most skilled of the drought QBs, but there are several others with impressive resumes with teams other than the Jets, such as Joe Flacco and Michael Vick.
There were also memorable QBs like Bryce Petty, Luke Faulk, Tim Boyle, and Trevor Siemian.
There was Mike Effin White and Effin Zach Wilson.
The Jets have survived Teboumania and Fitzmagic droughts.
There was a butt fumble and a fail mary.
The only time in the past 14 years the Jets actually came close to making the playoffs was in 2015, when the team spectacularly flamed out at the hands of former coach Rex Ryan in Buffalo.
None of the other sad sack teams in the city have fared as badly as the Jets over this period.
The Knicks have made the playoffs five times, and the Mets have made it four times.
It's not like the Jets haven't had good players during this time.
Three players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Darrelle Revis, LaDainian Tomlinson and Ed Reed, played for the Jets during the drought.
Another, Ron Wolf, helped hire a GM and coach during the drought.
The Jets are 80-144 since 2011, a stretch of 224 mostly unforgettable football games.
So Rogers is right.
He played quarterback in only 13 of those games.
But whether he likes it or not, he's now caught in a drought.
