The NFL currently consists of 32 teams. However, the league was once much smaller. Founded back in 1920 when it was known as the American Football League, the NFL consisted of only 14 teams. Decades later in 1967, the league expanded to 16 teams and added another 10 in 1970. Ultimately, the league grew to 32 teams back in 2002.
A Look at the NFL’s 32 Teams
The NFL adopted its name back in 1922. For a long period of time, the National Football League competed with the American Football League for not only popularity but also college prospects.
Ultimately, in 1966, instead of continuing to divide the talent pool across two separate leagues, the AFL and NFL merged, which resulted in an increase in total teams.
With revenue in the billions and popularity at a fever pitch, 32 might not be the number of NFL teams for long. To capitalize on this popularity, the NFL may focus on expansion at some point in the future.
When that happens, a number of possible expansion cities will be vying for an NFL team, plus there are international cities such as London, Berlin, and Toronto that have expressed interest in adding an NFL team as well.
NFL Teams By Conference and Division
Fast forward to today, the NFL is now divided into two conferences — the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Both are separated into four divisions. You can also see a complete list of NFL teams in alphabetical order.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
