NFL Franchise Origins
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
Here is what the current 32 teams in the National Football League have to show for the years they have put in as members of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), the NFL, the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the American Football League (AFL). Years given for league titles indicate seasons championships were won—Super Bowls held following January.
American Football Conference
| First Season | League Titles | Franchise Stops | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 1996 (NFL) | 1 Super Bowl (2000) | * Cleveland (1946–95)1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1960 (AFL) | 2 AFL (1964-65) | * Buffalo (1960-72) Orchard Park, NY (1973—) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1968 (AFL) | None | * Cincinnati (1968—) |
| Cleveland Browns | 1946 (AAFC) | 4 AAFC (1946-49) 4 NFL (1950,54-55,64) | * Cleveland (1999—)1 |
| Denver Broncos | 1960 (AFL) | 2 Super Bowls (1997-98) | * Denver (1960—) |
| Houston Texans | 2002 (NFL) | None | * Houston (2002—) |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1953 (NFL) | 3 NFL (1958-59,68) 1 Super Bowl (1970) | * Baltimore (1953-83) Indianapolis (1984—) |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1995 (NFL) | None | * Jacksonville, FL (1995—) |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1960 (AFL) | 3 AFL (1962,66,69) 1 Super Bowl (1969) | * Dallas (1960-62) Kansas City (1963—) |
| Miami Dolphins | 1966 (AFL) | 2 Super Bowls (1972-73) | * Miami (1966—) |
| New England Patriots | 1960 (AFL) | 3 Super Bowls (2001,03,04) | * Boston (1960-70) Foxboro, MA (1971—) |
| New York Jets | 1960 (AFL) | 1 AFL (1968) 1 Super Bowl (1968) | * New York (1960-83) E. Rutherford, NJ (1984—) |
| Oakland Raiders | 1960 (AFL) | 2 AFL (1967) 3 Super Bowls (1976,80,83) | * Oakland (1960-81, 1995—) Los Angeles (1982-94) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1933 (NFL) | 5 Super Bowls (1974-75,78-79,05) | * Pittsburgh (1933—) |
| San Diego Chargers | 1960 (AFL) | 1 AFL (1963) | * Los Angeles (1960) San Diego (1961—) |
| Tennessee Titans | 1960 (AFL) | 2 AFL (1960-61) | * Houston (1960-96) Memphis (1997) Nashville (1998—) |
1. The Cleveland Browns team moved to Baltimore in 1996 but Cleveland retained the rights to the name, colors, and history of the franchise to be reactivated in the 1999 expansion team.
National Football Conference
| First Season | League Titles | Franchise Stops | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 1920 (APFA) | 2 NFL (1925,47) | * Chicago (1920-59) St. Louis (1960-87) Tempe, AZ (1988—) |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1966 (NFL) | None | * Atlanta (1966—) |
| Carolina Panthers | 1995 (NFL) | * Clemson, SC (1995) Charlotte, NC (1996—) | |
| Chicago Bears | 1920 (APFA) | 8 NFL (1921, 32-33,40-41,43,46,63) 1 Super Bowl (1985) | * Decatur, IL (1920) Chicago (1921—) |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1960 (NFL) | 5 Super Bowls (1971,77,92-93,95) | * Dallas (1960-70) Irving, TX (1971—) |
| Detroit Lions | 1930 (NFL) | 4 NFL (1935,52-53,57) | * Portsmouth, OH (1930-33) Detroit (1934-74, 2002—) Pontiac, MI (1975-2001) |
| Green Bay Packers | 1921 (APFA) | 11 NFL (1929-31,36,39,44,61-62,65-67) 3 Super Bowls (1966-67,96) | * Green Bay (1921—) |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1961 (NFL) | 1 NFL (1969) | * Bloomington, MN (1961-81) Minneapolis, MN (1982—) |
| New Orleans Saints | 1967 (NFL) | None | * New Orleans (1967—) |
| New York Giants | 1925 (NFL) | 4 NFL (1927,34,38,56) 2 Super Bowls (1986,90) | * New York (1925-73,75) New Haven, CT (1973-74) E. Rutherford, NJ (1976—) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1933 (NFL) | 3 NFL (1948-49,60) | * Philadelphia (1933—) |
| St. Louis Rams | 1937 (NFL) | 2 NFL (1945,51) 1 Super Bowl (1999) | * Cleveland (1937-45) Los Angeles (1946-79) Anaheim (1980-94) St. Louis (1995—) |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1946 (AAFC) | 5 Super Bowls (1981,84,88-89,94) | * San Francisco (1946—) |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1976 (NFL) | None | * Seattle (1976—) |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1976 (NFL) | 1 Super Bowl (2002) | * Tampa, FL (1976—) |
| Washington Redskins | 1932 (NFL) | 2 NFL (1937,42) 3 Super Bowls (1982,87,91) | * Boston (1932-36) Washington, DC (1937-96) Raljon, MD (1997—) |
