The 2025 NFL season is approaching its conclusion, with the Super Bowl being played between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. One team will soon have the opportunity to cement its place in history as the league’s champion.
Given how difficult it is to win a Super Bowl, many franchises have endured long championship droughts, while others continue to search for their first title. So which teams have gone the longest without hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in National Football League history?
Which NFL Teams Have the Longest Super Bowl Droughts?
Of the NFL’s 32 franchises, only 20 have won a Super Bowl. Among the 12 that have not, four have never even reached the league’s biggest stage: the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions.
The longest championship drought, however, extends beyond the Super Bowl era. The Arizona Cardinals, who have never won a Super Bowl, have gone 78 seasons without an NFL title. Their last championship came in 1947, nearly two decades before the AFL-NFL merger ushered in the Super Bowl era in 1966.
The Arizona Cardinals have come the closest among that group, most notably reaching the Super Bowl after the 2008 season, where they fell 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Next are the Detroit Lions, who have never appeared in a Super Bowl. Detroit’s most recent championship came in 1957 with an NFL title, leaving the franchise 68 seasons removed from its last crown. The Lions made progress in recent years, winning their fourth NFC North title in 2023, but their season ended with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
Another tier of franchises owns lengthy droughts without a championship in either the pre–Super Bowl or Super Bowl era. The Minnesota Vikings lead that list with a 65-season drought after entering the league in 1961.
The Cleveland Browns follow closely with a 61-season title drought. Cleveland last won an NFL Championship in 1964 and has never reached a Super Bowl. Despite eight NFL championships overall — including five between 1946 and 1950 — the Browns have struggled in the modern era, tallying just one playoff win since 1994.
The Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans, both established in 1966, sit with 60-season championship droughts. The Los Angeles Chargers and the Buffalo Bills also joined the league that year and share the same drought, though Buffalo at least reached the Super Bowl four times in the early 1990s — famously losing all four appearances.
MORE: List of Most Super Bowl Wins by Team
The Cincinnati Bengals remain among the franchises still searching for their first Super Bowl title, carrying a drought of 58 seasons each as they joined the league in 1968. Cincinnati has made three trips to the Super Bowl, most recently after the 2021 season, and has come up short each time.
Among teams that have won at least one Super Bowl, the longest active drought belongs to the New York Jets. Their lone championship came in the 1968 season with a victory in Super Bowl III, marking a 57-year drought.
Next on that list are the Miami Dolphins, who have gone 52 seasons without a Super Bowl win. Their most recent title came after the 1973 season, following their historic 1972 campaign in which Miami went undefeated at 17-0, the only team in NFL history to accomplish that feat.
The final three franchises yet to win a Super Bowl are the Jaguars, Texans, and Panthers. The Jaguars and Panthers both entered the league in 1995 and have each endured a 30-year championship drought. The Texans, the NFL’s newest franchise, were founded in 2002 and are currently experiencing a 22-season drought.
Neither Jacksonville nor Houston has ever reached the Super Bowl. Carolina, however, has come close twice, advancing to the championship game in the 2003 and 2015 seasons. The Panthers fell to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII and later lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Surprisingly, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have also not won a Super Bowl for 30 seasons now, and they are also a part of this list.
