RE: A reimagining of NFL Divisions beginning at the merger
I came up with my own post-merger reimagining of NFL divisions a while back that I don't think I've shared here. In this scenario, the merged league opts to adhere more strictly to geography rather than to retain the traditional AFC/NFC split, although they retain the AFC name for the eastern conference and the NFC name for the western.
1970
AFC
North: Boston, Buffalo, NY Giants, NY Jets, Philadelphia
South: Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami, Washington
West: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh
NFC
North: Chicago, Green Bay, Kansas City, Minnesota, St. Louis
South: Dallas, Denver, Houston, New Orleans
West: Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco
1971: Boston Patriots become New England Patriots
1976: expansion Seattle Seahawks join NFC West; expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers join AFC South
1982: Oakland Raiders become Los Angeles Raiders
1984: Baltimore Colts become Indianapolis Colts and move to AFC West
1988: St. Louis Cardinals become Phoenix Cardinals and move to NFC South
1994: Phoenix Cardinals become Arizona Cardinals
1995: Arizona Cardinals move to NFC West; expansion Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars join AFC South; Indianapolis Colts move to NFC North; Los Angeles Raiders become Oakland Raiders; Los Angeles Rams become St. Louis Rams and move to NFC South; Washington Redskins move to AFC West
1995
AFC
North: Buffalo, New England, NY Giants, NY Jets, Philadelphia
South: Atlanta, Carolina, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa Bay
West: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Washington
NFC
North: Chicago, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minnesota
South: Dallas, Denver, Houston, New Orleans, St. Louis
West: Arizona, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle
1996: expansion Baltimore Ravens join AFC West; Cleveland Browns suspended from league for attempting to move to Baltimore
1997: Houston Oilers become Tennessee Oilers
1999: Cleveland Browns rejoin AFC West; Tennessee Oilers become Tennessee Titans
2002: AFC East created with Baltimore, Carolina, Philadelphia, and Washington; NFC East created with Dallas, Houston (expansion), New Orleans, and Tennessee; Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs move to NFC South
2016: St. Louis Rams become Los Angeles Rams
2017: San Diego Chargers become Los Angeles Chargers
2020: Los Angeles Rams move to NFC West; Oakland Raiders become Las Vegas Raiders and move to NFC South
2020
AFC
East: Baltimore, Carolina, Philadelphia, Washington
North: Buffalo, New England, NY Giants, NY Jets
South: Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa Bay
West: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh
NFC
East: Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Tennessee
North: Chicago, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Minnesota
South: Arizona, Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas
West: LA Chargers, LA Rams, San Francisco, Seattle
(This post was last modified: 06-29-2021 11:12 PM by Nerdlinger.)
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