The National Football League was founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio. Originally called the American Professional Football Association (APFA). In 1922 the APFA was renamed the NFL and included 14 original teams. In the beginning, some franchises were failing, others joining, and rules evolving.
In 1930 the thought of a Championship game developed into a reality. The first Championship game was won in 1933 by the Chicago Bears who are still in operation today. More rule changes in the 1940's led to surging NFL popularity in the 1950's with the advancement of the televised games.
In the 1960's a rival league, the AFL emerged, with the AFL gaining enough popularity which eventually forced a merger of the 2 leagues. in 1970, they created one league with two conferences, the NFC and the AFC.
The first Superbowl was played in 1967 which despite its beginnings eventually became the world's number one televised sporting event year after year. As the league expanded adding more teams, ending up with 32 by 2002, the NFL continued to grow, eventually becoming a billion-dollar entity watched by fans around the world. The NFL's most popular players have signed huge deals not only with teams but also with advertisers.
The NFL is a cultural phenomenon that can't be stopped and will continue to grow in popularity into the next decade or two.
NFL Teams joining the league
1920
Chicago Cardinals: became the St. Louis Cardinals in 1950, then the Phoenix Cardinals in 1988, then renamed themselves the Arizona Cardinals in1994.
1921
Green Bay Packers: Longest team remaining in their original city with original name.
1922
Chicago Bears
1925
New York Giants: This team joined the NFL for a $2,500 entry fee.
1930
Detroit Lions: Originally the Portsmouth Spartans, they changed their name to the Detroit Lions in 1934.
1932
Washington Commanders: They were originally called the Boston Braves but moved to Washington DC and renamed themselves the Redskins in 1933 and changed their name to the Commanders in 2022 due to pressure from the public over the name "Redskins".
1933
Philadelphia Eagles: Joined as an expansion team.
1933
Pittsburg Steelers: They were originally called the Pirates and changed their name to the Steelers in 1940.
1937
Los Angeles Rams: Originally a Cleveland team called the Rams, they moved to Los Angeles in 1946 then to St Louis in 1995 and back to Los Angeles in 2016.
1950
Cleveland Browns: They joined the NFL from the All-America Football Conference (founded in 1944). They suspended operations from 1996-1998 when they became the Baltimore Ravens but rejoined as an expansion team in 1999.
1950
San Francisco 49ers: Joined from the defunct AAFC League.
1953
Indianapolis Colts: Originally the Baltimore Colts they moved to Indianapolis in 1984.
1960
Dallas Cowboys: Joined as an expansion team
1960
Los Angeles Chargers: They joined the American Football League, formed as a rival league to the NFL in 1960, they moved to San Diego in 1961 then back to Los Angeles in 2017. They entered the NFL in 1970 with the AFL-NFL merger.
1960
Denver Broncos: Joined the NFL with the 1970 merger.
1960
Las Vegas Raiders: Joined the AFL as the Oakland Raiders then moved to Los Angeles in 1982, back to Oakland in 1995 and to Vegas in 2020. Joined the NFL with the 1970 merger.
1960
New England Patriots. Joined as the Boston Patriots and renamed the New England Patriots in 1971, they joined the NFL in the 1970 merger.
1960
New York Jets: Originally named the Titans, they renamed themselves the Jets in 1963 and joined the NFL with the 1970 merger.
1961
Minnesota Vikings: They joined the NFL as an expansion team.
1961
Buffalo Bills: Joined the AFL as an expansion team and the NFL during the 1970 merger.
1961
Kansas City Chiefs: They joined the AFL as an expansion team named the Dallas Texans and moved to Kansas City in 1963 as the Chiefs. They entered the NFL during the 1970 merger.
1966
Atlanta Falcons: Joined the NFL as an expansion team.
1966
Miami Dolphins: They joined the AFL as an expansion team and then the NFL with the 1970 merger.
1967
New Orleans Saints: Joined the NFL as an expansion team.
1968
Cincinati Bengals: Joined the AFL and then the NFL with the 1970 merger.
1970
Tennessee Titans: They joined the NFL as the Houston Oilers. They moved to Tennessee in 1997 and changed their name to the Titans in 1999. They entered the NFL with the 1970 merger.
1976
Seattle Seahawks: Joined the NFL as an expansion team.
1976
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joined the NFL as an expansion team.
1995
Carolina Panthers: Joined the NFL as an expansion.
1995
Jacksonville Jaguars: Joined the NFL as an expansion team.
1996
Baltimore Ravens: They joined when the Cleveland Browns relocated to Baltimore, but the team had to rename themselves when the City of Cleveland wanted to retain the name of the "Browns".
2002
Houston Texans: Joined the NFL as an expansion team.