12 NFL Teams That Have No Chance At Making The Playoffs This Coming 2026 Season
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
It’s been said that before the season begins, every team is a contender. That statement, however, is just not true.
While every team hopes that the changes they make during the offseason will lead to postseason glory, the reality is that we can clearly identify several teams in such a bad talent position that they have no realistic chance of making the NFL playoffs.
Let’s take a look at 12 teams that will not taste the postseason in 2026.
Which NFL teams will not make the playoffs in 2026?
Miami Dolphins
Let’s be honest, things are an absolute mess in South Beach. Simply put, the Dolphins are probably in the worst shape out of any NFL team. You know it’s not a good sign when your team is staring up at the Raiders and Browns. After years of running it back with the same front office, the Dolphins finally cleaned house this offseason, parting ways with their GM and Head Coach.
Unfortunately for the new management, they are walking into an absolute mess, both on the field and with the salary cap. After the 2025 season, Miami made the decision to cut quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. While this was a personnel move that needed to be made, it created a salary cap nightmare for the Fins. As a result of Tua’s departure, Miami is currently on the hook for a record-setting $99.2 million hit against the cap.
As if the salary cap issue wasn’t enough, the team is a mess on the field as well. After trading WR Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos, Miami is left with just one weapon on offense – Running Back De’Von Achane. With regards to the defense, Miami has zero weapons. Not only will the Dolphins not make the playoffs in 2026, but I’m also willing to say that they won’t make the NFL playoffs in 2027 and 2028, too!
New York Jets
C’mon, it’s the Jets. Enough said. Since the Jets haven’t had a winning season since 2015 and have only finished over .500 once since 2011, can we just keep the Jets on this list until further notice? I like to make fun of the Jets because, outside of Cleveland, they might be among the worst-run franchises. However, not everything is completely bleak for Gang Green. Since they reside in the same division as the Dolphins, the Jets won’t finish last!
The Jets finished 2025 with a 3-14 record, but things are looking up in the Meadowlands. Head Coach Aaron Glenn gets another year to continue putting his stamp on the team, and the Jets did bring in some key reinforcements this offseason. New York added several players to its defense through trades and free agency, highlighted by the acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick. They continued to bolster their lineup in the draft with the selections of David Bailey and DeAngelo Ponds. The Jets’ major area of concern lies at the quarterback position.
Geno Smith returns for his second stint with the Jets after bottoming out with the Raiders in 2025. While the Jets are in a better position than last year, the new additions just won’t be enough to push them into the playoffs.
New York Giants
It looks like MetLife Stadium will be dark come the playoffs because the Giants will join their stadium roommates, the Jets, in missing the playoffs this season. The Giants will be better than last season’s 4-13 record simply because of the hiring of John Harbaugh as the new Head Coach. Harbaugh alone should add about 2-3 wins to last season’s record.
But the new coach did not come to New York alone, as Harbaugh brought along several reinforcements with him from Baltimore, among those being Tight End Isaiah Likely, Safety Ar’Darius Washington, and Fullback Patrick Ricard. Likely will provide a nice secondary receiving option for Quarterback Jaxson Dart when Malik Nabers returns from his knee injury. The Giants used their myriad of draft picks to help shore up other weak areas, such as on the offensive and defensive lines, cornerback, and wide receiver.
It’s been a bleak few years for the Giants, with only 2 winning seasons out of the last 10, but New York fans should just hold on a little longer. With the additions on the field and on the sidelines, the Giants should be back in the NFL playoffs soon, just not in 2026.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were one of the easiest choices for this list. Las Vegas is coming off 4 straight losing seasons, culminating in 2025, when it finished 3-14 and earned the number one pick in the draft. That recent performance led the organization to launch a full-on rebuild. Head Coach Pete Carroll was fired and replaced with Klint Kubiak.
The Raiders then brought in Quarterback Kirk Cousins, who played for Kubiak in Minnesota. While Cousins might start the season, the main reason for his acquisition is to tutor their 1st round draft choice – Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who was also the 1st overall pick. In order to help ensure that Mendoza doesn’t spend half the season on his back, the Raiders also took steps to strengthen their offensive line.
While reinforcements were also brought in on defense, the biggest move was the one not made. The failed trade of defensive lineman Maxx Crosby to the Ravens keeps the star pass rusher terrorizing opposing quarterbacks for the Silver and Black. The Raiders might not make the playoffs in 2026, but their absence from postseason play won’t be much longer.
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee finished the 2025 season with a record of 3-14, and since it’s hard to expect them to improve much in 2026, the Titans certainly warrant a spot on our list. If the last 5 games of 2025 were an indication of things to come, one can expect second-year quarterback Cam Ward to improve on his rookie year.
In fact, with a depleted receiving corps to end last season, Ward finished those last 5 games with 8 touchdowns and 1 interception. Unfortunately for the quarterback, the front office failed to significantly improve his receiving options. Sorry, but newly signed Wan’Dale Robinson will not remind anyone of Jerry Rice. Tennessee spent most of its draft capital on the defensive side of the ball, and while they made a bunch of nice, safe picks, there is no one who will truly move the needle on defense.
The Titans will not be as bad as they were in 2025. I mean, they’re not the Cardinals or Dolphins. They can probably expect an improvement to 6 or 7 wins, but that just won’t be enough to get them into the NFL playoffs.
Cleveland Browns
“And the winner of the Most Inept Franchise Award goes to… the Cleveland Browns!” Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Browns have had 4 winning seasons. Got that – 4 winning seasons over the last 27 years! That is ineptness at its finest.
The problem with the Browns is numerous. First, for the first time since 2020, Cleveland will have a new head coach, as Todd Monken takes over for Kevin Stefanski. The first question the new coach will have to answer is “Who is the starting quarterback?” While Shedeur Sanders finished out 2025, Deshaun Watson still looms large over the Cleveland roster. The rest of the offense contains numerous question marks as the entire offensive line will be new, and the receiving corps is inexperienced.
It’s the defensive side of the ball where the Browns will be exciting to watch. The team returns star pass rusher Myles Garrett and Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger to a unit that has the potential to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. While the defense might be able to stop opposing teams from scoring, there are just too many questions on offense to think the Browns will break their streak of losing seasons.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts finished the 2025 season with the same 8-9 record as in 2024. However, the Colts 2025 season was a tale of two different seasons. Indianapolis’ season fell apart in the second half of 2025, especially after Quarterback Daniel Jones was lost to an Achilles injury. Things got so bad last year in the Colts quarterback room that the team had to bring in retired 44-year old Philip Rivers.
The tenuous quarterback situation doesn’t look to disappear in 2026. For whatever reason, the Colts have seemed to move on from former 1st round draft pick Anthony Richardson, and Jones is still recovering from injury. Maybe the Colts would like to reach out to Johnny Unitas for the 2026 season.
The issues at the quarterback position will undoubtedly lead to greater pressure and usage on Running Back Jonathan Taylor, who has had injury issues of his own over the last 5 seasons. Simply put, the Colts just don’t have the firepower to be a true contender.
New Orleans Saints
Back-to-back losing seasons, and 3 losing seasons in the last 5 years have left the Saints in a precarious situation. There is still some talent in the New Orleans locker room. Running Back Travis Etienne Jr. was brought in to lighten the load of dual-threat Alvin Kamara, who has begun to show the wear and tear from overuse.
Chris Olave provides a steady presence at wide receiver, and he will be joined by top draft pick Jordyn Tyson. If Tyson can remain healthy, the Saints will have a pair of receivers who could cause massive headaches for defensive coordinators. The one major question on offense: who will be throwing the ball to the receivers? Did Tyler Shough show enough in his rookie season to be convincing enough to lead one to think that he is the long-term answer under center?
New Orleans certainly thinks so, as they have decided to build around Shough, but enough questions remain as to whether he is truly the answer at quarterback. The Saints will probably improve on last year’s 6 wins, but just not enough to make the NFL playoffs.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons lost the Super Bowl after the 2016 season and lost in the Divisional Round the following year. Since then, it has been 8 straight losing seasons. Over that period, the Falcons have changed head coaches 4 times, with Kevin Stefanski being named the new coach in January 2026, and last season, second-year quarterback Michael Penix replaced Kirk Cousins as the starter.
Despite those changes, the ever-continuing rebuild will continue for at least another year. Last season, Atlanta finished 14th in total offense, yet they boast one of the game’s best backs in Bijon Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. That poor ranking falls on the shoulders of Penix, who has not yet shown that he deserves the starting quarterback job. As such, this offseason, the Falcons brought in Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Penix.
Yep, they brought in a quarterback that another team paid over $99 million to get rid of as competition. That alone should tell you everything you need to know about the Falcons’ chances of making the playoffs this season. While the new coach and existing offensive weapons provide hope for the franchise, this team, as presently constructed at quarterback, is just not good enough to make the NFL playoffs.
Arizona Cardinals
Where do we begin with the Arizona Cardinals? Let’s start with the positives. The Cards do have some talent on their roster. Wide Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Tight End Trey McBride, and 1st Round Draft pick, running back Jeremiyah Love, provide some offensive firepower out in the desert.
However, they might not have anyone to get these offensive threats on the ball. During the offseason, Arizona decided it was better to incur a $54.7 million salary cap hit by releasing quarterback Kyler Murray than to have him continue playing for the franchise. Simply put, Jacoby Brissett or Kedon Slovis under center isn’t going to worry most NFL defenses.
If a lack of talent wasn’t a big enough problem to overcome for the Cardinals, the schedule release certainly didn’t do the team any favors. Based on 2026 win-loss projections, the Cardinals have one of, if not the, hardest schedules for the upcoming season. The only thing that the Arizona Cardinals will be competing for in 2026 will be the 1st overall draft pick… and they might just be bad enough to get it.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers finished the 2025 season with a record of 10-7 and a trip to the playoffs. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh fans, the season ended with a whopping 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.
Shortly after the season ended, it was announced that after 19 years, Head Coach Mike Tomlin would not be returning to the team for the 2026 season. Acclimating a new head coach is difficult enough, but when the new coach and team are being held hostage by a 42-year-old quarterback, who, as of mid-May, has not made a decision about whether he will be playing in 2026.
If Aaron Rodgers decides to return, he will turn 43 during the season, so it’s fair to ask how much he has left. If Rodgers decides to retire, he has left the Steelers with almost no time to sign an acceptable replacement. A new coach, a question at quarterback, a declining defense, and an aging roster are just too many issues for the Steelers to overcome in 2026.
Washington Commanders
Believe it or not, selecting the Commanders for this list was not easy. I went back and forth on whether or not Washington deserves this spot. Ultimately, I decided they do. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the 2024 squad to a 12-5 record and a trip to the Conference Finals.
As a rookie, Daniels threw for over 3,500 yards with 25 touchdowns on his way to earning a Pro Bowl nod and AP Rookie of the Year award. But in 2025, the quarterback only suited up for 7 games due to various injuries.
While reports indicate he is now healthy, questions remain about which Daniels will show up in 2026: the star rookie or the sophomore slump version. Issues at other key positions, including wide receiver, running back, an aging defense, and playing in a tough division, are just too much for Washington to overcome in 2026.
