List of NFL Teams and Cities

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States (US). It is one of the "Big Four" major professional sports leagues in North America, and the only Big Four league that does not contain any Canadian-based teams. The NFL consists of 32 teams that are divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC). At the end of the regular season, 6 teams from each conference, which includes four division-winning teams and two wild card teams, compete for the Super Bowl. All NFL teams are based in the contiguous US. Some of these teams are highlighted below.

US States with Multiple NFL Teams

California

The state of California is represented by four NFL teams. These teams include: the Los Angeles Rams, which are based in Los Angeles and play home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Los Angeles Chargers, which are based in Carson, the Oakland Raiders, which are based in the city of Oakland, and the San Francisco 49ers, which are based in Santa Clara. The Chargers and Raiders are members of the AFC West Division, while the Rams and 49ers are members of the NFC West Division.

Florida

There are three NFL teams based in Florida, namely the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Dolphins are members of the AFC East Division, are based in the city of Miami Gardens, and play home games at the Hard Rock Stadium. The Jaguars, which play in the AFC South Division, are based in Jacksonville and play home games at TIAA Bank Field. The Buccaneers are the only franchise in Florida that belongs to the NFC. The team is based in Tampa and plays home games at Raymond James Stadium.

Maryland

The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins are the two NFL teams that play in the state of Maryland. The Ravens, which are based in Baltimore, are members of the AFC North Division and play home games at M & T Bank Stadium. The Washington Redskins, which compete in the NFC East Division, are based in the unincorporated community of Landover and play home games at FedEx Field.

New Jersey

East Rutherford, New Jersey is home to both the New York Giants and New York Jets. The Giants are members of the NFC East Division, while the Jets are members of the AFC East Division. The two teams play home games at Metlife Stadium, and are among the few NFL teams that share a stadium.

Ohio

Ohio has two NFL teams: the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. Both teams compete in the AFC North Division. The Bengals are based in Cincinnati and play home games at Paul Brown Stadium, while the Browns are based in Cleveland and play home games at First Energy Stadium.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to two NFL teams: the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburg Steelers, which are based in Philadelphia and Pittsburg, respectively.

Texas

Texas is represented by the Dallas Cowboys, which are based in Arlington, and the Houston Texans, which play in Houston.

Importance of a Franchise

All 32 NFL teams have been granted franchises by the league, which authorize the teams to operate in their respective home cities. The franchise covers the team's "Home Territory", which is defined as 75 miles surrounding the city in which a team is based, or half the distance between the two cities in cases where two NHL team are located less than 100 miles apart. The franchise also covers the "Home Marketing Area," which includes the home territory and the rest of the state in which the team is located, and may also include the area in which the team’s training camp is located.