History of NFL Expansion
- In 1960, the NFL added the Dallas Texans, who would become the Cowboys. The Minnesota Vikings in 1961, the Atlanta Falcons in 1966 and the New Orleans Saints in 1967 brought the number of NFL clubs to 16 by the end of the decade.
- The league merged with the competing American Football League in time for the 1970 season. This added the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Boston Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.
- The Tampa Buccaneers and Seattle Seahwaks were allowed in as expansion franchises in 1976. The teams combined to win just two games that season, both by Seattle.
- The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995, the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, and the Houston Texans in 2002 brought the NFL's total of teams up to 32. The Ravens and Texans actually replaced teams that had moved from their original cities to go elsewhere--the Colts and the Oilers.
- Of these expansion teams, the Ravens, Cowboys, Broncos, Chiefs, Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Buccaneers and Raiders have all won a Super Bowl. The Texans, Saints, and Jaguars are the only three that haven't been to the title game as of 2009.