The History of NFL Teams

The National Football League was founded in 1922. Only three teams in the NFL at that time are still members of the circuit, with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers still in their original city, and the Arizona Cardinals long removed from Chicago, which was their initial location.

  1. Growing League

    • The New York Giants in 1925, the Detroit Lions in 1930, the Washington Redskins in 1932, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles in 1933, and the Cleveland Rams in 1937 eventually joined the NFL, which further expanded in the 1940s with the addition of the San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns.

    Expansion

    • The Baltimore Colts in 1953, the Dallas Cowboys in 1960, the Minnesota Vikings in 1961, the Atlanta Falcons in 1966, and the New Orleans Saints in 1967 joined the NFL during the 1960s. By the end of the decade, the American Football League was merged with the NFL, adding the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, and Houston Oilers in time for the 1970 NFL season.

    32 Teams

    • More cities were granted NFL franchises as time passed. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks came aboard in 1976, The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995, the Baltimore Ravens in 1996 and the Houston Texans in 2002, brought the number of NFL teams to 32.

    Relocation

    • Some teams changed cities over the years. The Colts left Baltimore for Indianapolis in 1984, the Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles in 1946--only to go to St. Louis in 1995, the Oilers transplanted to Tennessee in 1997, the Cardinals moved from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960--only to bolt to Phoenix, Arizona in 1988 and the Raiders went to Los Angeles in 1982 before moving back in 1995.

    Titles

    • Green Bay's dozen NFL titles is the most in league history followed by the 9 belonging to the Bears. The Super Bowl came about in time for the 1966 season, matching the winners of the two conferences the NFL was divided into. The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six of these title games--the most of any NFL squad.