It's Been How Long? The NFL's Five Longest Championship Droughts

May 23, 2023

Some of the great teams of the past are now a shell of themselves. Aidin Ebrahimi ranks the five longest NFL championship droughts among former Super Bowl champions.

The NFL world moves fast and is very brutal. Some of the most dominant teams of the previous decades are now a shell of themselves.

Out of the last six teams that have won the Super Bowl, four of them finished the 2022 season with a losing record. The law of averages eventually applies to all teams, as, normally, bad teams get better over time with high draft picks. But some teams are truly cursed and haven't been dominant in decades.

With that in mind, this article will look at the NFL's five longest championship droughts. In order to be eligible, a team must have won a Super Bowl at some point during their existence, meaning that all of these teams have at least won one championship since 1966.

#5. Washington Commanders/Football Team/Redskins (31 seasons)

Joe Gibbs wasn't just the head coach of the Washington Redskins, he was the Washington Redskins. Before him, the team had never won the Super Bowl, and their last NFL championship came in 1942. Their only notable accomplishment before the hiring of Gibbs was when they reached the big game in 1972, where they lost to the 14-0 Miami Dolphins. By 1981, the game had changed a lot, as 14 players threw for over 3000 yards that year, with gunslinger Dan Fouts throwing for 4802 yards. In contrast, no player threw for more than 2900 yards in 1972, with the league leader "Broadway" Joe Namath (who we'll get to later) throwing for just 2816 yards. One of the main reasons for this was the rise of the Air Coryell offense that powered Fouts and the Chargers, and Gibbs was a big part of the system's success as the Chargers' offensive coordinator.

But in Washington, Gibbs changed his ways and focused on defense and rushing behind an elite offensive line, reaching four Super Bowls and winning three, with the last of them coming in 1991. Ever since Gibbs' departure in 1992, the team hasn't experienced any major success. Not even Gibbs himself could save the team, as although he returned from 2004 to 2007, he only won one playoff game. This franchise has had the same number of names (three) as 10-win seasons since 1991. Maybe if RG3 never got hurt they could have made some deep postseason runs, but we will never know. And unless Sam Howell pans out, the Commanders look set to be at the bottom of the NFC East for many years to come.

#4. Chicago Bears (37 seasons)

When someone asks you about the best teams ever, one of the first teams that will come to your mind is undoubtedly the 1985 Chicago Bears. Perhaps the greatest defense in NFL history, the "Monsters of the Midway" had the most sacks + interceptions by a team in a single season in NFL history (98), and they also had the legendary Walter Payton racking up 2034 yards from scrimmage. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. After demolishing the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, the team slowly collapsed. Payton retired in 1987, and the Bears' fortunes declined in the mid-to-late 90s, and they only made the playoffs once from 1995 to 2004.

But by 2005, the Bears had finally built another dominant defense, led by Defensive Player of the Year Brian Urlacher. They were just a quarterback away from returning to the Super Bowl. Enter Rex Grossman. Although Rex was wildly inconsistent, he managed to lead the team to Super Bowl XLI, where they'd lose to Peyton Manning and the Colts. Grossman was then replaced by Kyle Orton, and Orton was replaced by Jay Cutler, who might just be the best Bears QB ever, which just shows you how the Bears have constantly failed to find a franchise quarterback.

Justin Fields to DJ Moore. pic.twitter.com/bqcWzRSWyI

— BFR (@bfrmedia) May 7, 2023

After Cutler, they infamously drafted Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes, a decision that will haunt the franchise forever. Now they're hoping that Justin Fields can finally be their guy, as he has all the physical tools needed to succeed.

#3. Las Vegas/Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (39 seasons)

Just win baby. From the early 70s to the mid-80s, the Raiders were unstoppable, as their owner Al Davis never accepted failure. Under legendary coaches John Madden and Tom Flores, they dominated the league, led by stars like Ken Stabler, Cliff Branch, and Marcus Allen. They won the Super Bowl in 1976 and 1980, before moving from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982 and winning another title in 1983. They continued to be solid until moving back to the Bay in 1995 and found new life when journeyman quarterback Rich Gannon, who joined the squad in 1999, suddenly became elite (which is quite similar to what happened with Geno Smith this season) and made the Pro Bowl for four straight years, winning league MVP in 2002.

That 2002 squad had it all, from a 40-year-old Jerry Rice having a 1211-yard season to Rod Woodson getting 8 picks, with two of them being pick-sixes. They made it all the way to Super Bowl XXXVII, where they were crushed by the dominant 2002 Bucs defense. They got beat so hard that their franchise didn't recover for almost two decades. From 2003 to 2014, the Raiders had a 56-136 record, which means that the average Raiders team during that era won around 4 games in a season. The Derek Carr era brought some hope, but now that he's gone, the team (now located in Las Vegas) is looking to usher in a new era led by Jimmy Garoppolo and Davante Adams.

#2. Miami Dolphins (49 seasons)

The Miami Dolphins joined the NFL from the AFL in 1970, and by their second year, they were already in the Super Bowl, losing to Roger Staubach's Cowboys. But they would be back better than ever in 1972. 14-0. That's the legacy of the 1972 Dolphins, who completed their perfect season by beating the aforementioned Redskins. Although the '73 Dolphins lost two games, they were just as dominant as their 1972 counterparts. With the infamous "No-Name Defense" still intact, they won 12 games and won Super Bowl VIII against the Vikings. Don Shula led the team to more playoff appearances going into the 80s, even making the Super Bowl in 1982, going down to the Redksins. The '82 Dolphins had the second-best defense in the league, but their quarterback only threw for 1080 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, so it was clear that they were a QB away from returning to glory.

With the 27th pick in the 1983 draft, the Dolphins picked Dan Marino from Pittsburgh and watched as Dan dominated the NFL, having one of the best seasons of all time in 1984, throwing for over 5000 yards and 48 TDs. Marino led his squad back to the Super Bowl that year, where he lost to the Joe Montana-led 49ers. And that was the last time that the Dolphins would play in the big game. With the loss of Marino's mobility due to injuries and players like Dwight Stephenson leaving the squad, Marino retired ringless.

Tua Tagovailoa had the 4th highest passing grade in the league behind only Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen last season, per PFF. pic.twitter.com/ZBQgO4WyHd

— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) May 10, 2023

The team has only made the postseason five times since Marino retired in 1999, winning just one game. However, the future looks bright with Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Xavien Howard, and their latest addition, Jalen Ramsey.

#1. New York Jets (54 seasons)

Jets fans are feeling pretty good right now. They just got one of the best players of all time, Aaron Rodgers, to add to their very solid core of Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Quinnen Williams. And maybe Rodgers can mentor Zach Wilson so that the former second-overall pick can make something of himself when Rodgers eventually leaves the Jets. But the Jets are great at creating false hope and then taking it all away. Maybe they are cursed, and if they are, the curse probably kicked in after Super Bowl III, when Joe Namath made his guarantee and backed it up, winning the Jets their first, and as of right now, only championship. "Broadway Joe" was never the same once the 70s started, and the same could be said for the team itself.

Jets WR Garrett Wilson says he was a little starstruck when he first saw Aaron Rodgers

Wilson said he'll be able to tell his kids 20-30 years from now "I played with Aaron Rodgers"

pic.twitter.com/dvcEsBkRWq

— Hogg (@HoggNFL) May 3, 2023

They could never find a superstar who they could build their franchise around. Chad Pennington was great when healthy, but he was injured almost every other year. They tried to get Rodgres' predecessor Brett Favre, but it backfired. Then, Rex Ryan came to town and led some very memorable teams, highlighted by dominant offensive linemen D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, and one of the best cornerbacks ever, Darrelle Revis. They made the AFC championship game for two years straight in 2009 and 2010 but lost both times and have not made the playoffs since. What Rodgers said in his first press conference as a member of the Jets is right, that Super Bowl III trophy does look a little lonely.

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