American Football Database
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The following is a list and brief history of American football franchises that at one time played in the National Football League (NFL). Note that the list represents NFL franchises that no longer exist, not franchises/teams that relocated. However, during the 1920s it is hard to tell if some teams changed nicknames from year to year or if each nickname represented a new franchise. It was also not uncommon for two or more teams to have the same nickname during the same season. No NFL franchise has folded since 1952. The Buccaneers, Colts, Cowboys, Giants, Lions, Panthers, and Texans franchises listed on this page are not the current franchises of those names.

A defunct team, in this case, refers to a team which has had the rights to have a team returned to the NFL (or league collective at the time).

Teams that won an NFL championship are marked with an asterisk (*).

1920s[]

1930s[]

1940s-1950s[]

Rejected franchises[]

These are all teams that applied to join the NFL but were refused entry. Some existed only as proposals, but others had full organizations. Unless otherwise noted, each team folded after their unsuccessful bid to join the NFL.

See also[]

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