NFL Teams That Moved and Relocation Year

NFL teams Relocation Cities are Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, and Indianapolis. The team changes its name per the city it is affiliated with. 

Here is the list of the Football Franchises that have relocated to other cities along with the dates:

• Decatur Staleys, 1921 – Chicago Staleys (now Chicago Bears)
• Toledo Maroons, 1924 – Kenosha, Wisconsin
• Cleveland Bulldogs, 1928 – Detroit Wolverines
• Pottsville Maroons – to Boston as the Bulldogs in 1929
• Dayton Triangles, 1930 – Brooklyn Dodgers (renamed as Tigers, 1944)
• Portsmouth Spartans, 1934 – Detroit Lions
• Boston Redskins, 1937 – Washington, D.C. (now Washington Commanders, 2022)
• Cleveland Rams, 1946 – Los Angeles
• Chicago Cardinals, 1960 – St. Louis
• Los Angeles Chargers, 1961 – San Diego
• Dallas Texans, 1963 – Kansas City Chiefs
• Oakland Raiders, 1982 – Los Angeles
• Baltimore Colts, 1984 – Indianapolis
• St. Louis Cardinals, 1988 – Phoenix (now Arizona Cardinals)
• Los Angeles Rams, 1995 – St. Louis
• Los Angeles Raiders, 1995 – Oakland
• Houston Oilers, 1997 and 1998 – Memphis and then Nashville (now Tennessee Titans)
• St. Louis Rams, 2016 –  Los Angeles
• San Diego Chargers, 2017 – Los Angeles
• Oakland Raiders, 2020 – Las Vegas

St. Louis Rams – Los Angeles, 2016

NFL teams relocation covers St. Louis Rams that returned back to Los Angeles in January 2016. Rams had earlier left the city in 1995.

The Rams sought to make their stadium one of the best in the League and had planned to make the Edward Jones Dome. However, they did not get the required funding due to it not being in the top 25 percentile of stadiums. This was one of the major catalysts for the move back. 

When the Rams relocated to St. Louis in 1995, they had negotiated a lease that stated that their Field would be at the top 25%. Per SB Nation, owner Stan Kroenke also believed that the city’s economy did not allow the team to flourish. 

Moreover, the franchise was also not performing well in the ticket sales department, only getting about 80% of spectators for the last five years consistently. 

San Diego Chargers – Los Angeles, 2017

San Diego Chargers relocated to Los Angeles in January  2017. 

Chargers owner Dean Spanos announced the decision and declared that the team would play in StubHub Center until the completion of the SoFi Stadium. 

One of the primary reasons for the movement was the clash between the San Diego City Hall and the team regarding a proper home ground to replace the old Qualcomm stadium.

The Chargers also got the hotel occupancy fees rejected in 2016 which would have assisted in their new stadium project. Moreover, LA had greater financial opportunities and more population that would increase business possibilities. 

Oakland Raiders – Las Vegas, 2020

Oakland Raiders moved their franchise to Las Vegas in the 2020 season. This is the recent relocation in the League as of 2023. 

Owner Mark Davis had continuously failed to replace the old Oakland Coliseum which became known as one of the worst NFL playgrounds in recent years. Similarly, Las Vegas also posed more financial opportunities compared to Oakland. 

The local government denied the required public funds to make a new field for the Raiders franchise, and it was the primary catalyst that eventually pushed the team to Paradise, Nevada. The League owners approved the relocating plans by a vote of 31-1.

NFL team name change consists of 1. Washington Commanders 2. Arizona Cardinals 3. Chicago Bears and more. 

1. Washington Commanders – 2022

Washington Commanders changed their name from Redskins officially in the 2022 season. However, they rid the Redskins in 2020 and were known as Washington Football Team for 2 seasons.

The name change came after the social backlash that sparked from the Georgy Floyd case in July 2020. Many social activists and corporations worked together for social justice and the Redskins name came into the spotlight. 

The name was already getting backlash since the 1960s by the Native Americans. But the 2020 situation made addressing the issue even more crucial since Washington’s financial partners like Nike and FedEx were pushing the franchise for the change.

Finally, owner Dan Snyder caved to the cause and settled on the ‘Commanders’ name after a long discussion with fans who had provided over 40,000 choices.  

2. Arizona Cardinals – 1994

Arizona Cardinals changed their name in March 1994. They opted to put Arizona instead of Phoenix.

The Cardinals had relocated to Phoenix in 1988, and they planned to make a new stadium soon after their move there. However, they failed to achieve the goal and played in Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium for 18 seasons. 

Since the team was not involved in Phoenix, the fans insisted the franchise change their name. Owner Bill Bidwill initially resisted the fans and cited the traditional importance of the team’s name being after the city, but he ultimately caved in 1994.

3. Chicago Bears – 1922

Chicago Staley changed their name to ‘Bears’ in the 1922 season. The team’s Staelys name was to commend their sponsor firm, Staley Starch.

The legendary franchise figure for the Bears, George Halas was the primary force behind the name change. He wanted to rebrand the franchise in compliment to the Chicago Cubs, the MLB team. Since he was the club owner, Halas had the right to go for a change too. 

Halas decided to use the Bears which signified as the bigger family member of the Cubs. The bigger stature of football players also made the name more sensible too. Moreover, the Bears also played at the Cub’s Wrigley Field during that time. 

Here is the list of other League Teams that have undergone name changes in the past years:

• Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis Colts – 1984
• New York Titans to New York Jets – 1963
• Pittsburgh Pirates to Pittsburgh Steelers – 1940
• Dallas Texans to Kansas City Chiefs – 1963
• Portsmouth Spartans to Detroit Lions – 1934

Last NFL expansion team is Houston Texans in 2002. The team plays their home games in the NRG Stadium today. 

Nevertheless, Houston also had an affiliation with the Oilers back in the 1960 -1966 period. The Oilers moved to Tennessee state in 1997, which placed Houston without any franchise. 

When the Oilers owner Bud Adams wanted a new stadium for his franchise in the 1990s, Houston’s mayor did not grant him the necessary funding. This made Adams decide to relocate to Nashville.

After the announcement was made in 1995, the Oilers’ 1996 season became a spectator disaster, with only three matches getting 30k people on the Field. After the Oilers moved to Nashville and rebranded as Tennessee Titans, Houston saw the Texans rise. 

The Texan’s owner Bob McNair had received the green light to pen up a new franchise on 6 October 1999 but it took three years to bring the plan into motion. Today, the team plays in the AFC South division.

NFL expansion teams 2024 features franchises for Mexico, Canada, and Europe. Nine teams have an international market in Mexico.

With interest in the League from various countries like Mexico, UK, and Germany, the league seeks to expand its brand further from its home soil and reach other international cities. 

There are many cities that could be eligible for getting franchise expansion. It all boils down to the city’s population and the city’s sports interests. London, Toronto, and Mexico City are some of the cities that fulfill this category. 

London hosted 33 NFL games since 2007, and Toronto already possesses an MLB and NBA team. likewise, Mexico City can be a way to capture the Mexican market presence and the League has played 4 games since 2016. 

All the teams can propose the expansion plans to International Committee. If the Committee approves the plan, then the franchise will gain international marketing rights. Adding teams will change the structure of the AFC and NFC too.