The locals are already conditioned to watching expansion team-quality play thanks to years of being sent the Jaguars and Rams. That means the league would need to add four teams. Memphis almost had an NFL franchise back in the 1990’s but could only watch as Carolina and Jacksonville were awarded expansion teams. Each team left five players unprotected, and was allowed to pull one of those back if another was taken. This article is a timeline of the National Football League (NFL). Edit: Here's the relevant chart from the FiveThirtyEight article estimating which cities have the most "unallocated NFL fans" (i.e. NFL; NFL Expansion -- 36 Team League -- Opinion; If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. 1967: New Orleans Saints become the league’s latest expansion team. 1970: AFL-NFL merger occurs, with Buffalo Bills, Boston Patriots, New York … The history of franchises that began as independent teams, or as members of the Ohio League, New York Pro Football League, and other defunct leagues … The next equilibrium would be 36 teams instead, which could be divided into six divisions of six teams each. The NFL has been operating a 12-team playoff field since 1990, when it added two wild-card teams to what had been a 10-team field from 1978 to 1989. The only logical move for the NFL is to move to 36 teams for the symmetry of having six divisions of six teams each. Back To Topics. Chicago. Two in … You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. If the NFL is at 40 teams 25 years from now I bet there are 6-8 international teams. 5. He refuses to suffer the humiliation of playing for a CFL team? Hypothetical NFL expansion 40 teams. Fine. 6. It tracks the history of each of the league's 32 current franchises from the early days of the league, through its merger with the American Football League (AFL). The NFL hasn’t had an expansion draft since 2002 when the Houston Texans joined the league. 2019 will be the 18th season of the current division format that started in 2002 when the Houston Texans joined the NFL. This is the last chance to get Tim Tebow back in the NFL. Each team left five players unprotected, and was allowed to pull one of those back if another was taken. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. 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