What Is the Oldest NFL Team? The League's Longest-Running Franchise

The Cardinals and Bears are the oldest teams in the NFL. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The NFL is entering its 107th season in 2026, when 32 teams will take the field once again to compete for a Super Bowl.

Of course, much has changed since the NFL was founded and first debuted in 1920, before there were 32 teams, the Super Bowl or even playoff games. The majority of the teams from the first years of the league have long disbanded, and remain a footnote in NFL history.

A few teams from the league’s early days, however, have stuck around until the present day. Here’s a breakdown of the oldest franchises in the NFL, including the team that has lasted longer than any other.

What is the oldest team in the NFL?

The oldest team in the NFL is the Arizona Cardinals, who joined the league—then known as the American Professional Football Conference—in its inaugural season in 1920. Except at that point in time, the franchise was actually known as the Racine Cardinals, back when the NFL was primarily a collection of teams from smaller Midwest cities.

The Cardinals were originally founded decades before the NFL came into existence in 1898, when they were known as the Morgan Athletic Club. They became the Racine Cardinals shortly after, and were one of the 14 inaugural teams in the 1920 AFPA season. The only other team from that season that is still active is the Decatur Staleys, who became the Chicago Bears in 1922.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, became the Chicago Cardinals in 1922 and then the St. Louis Cardinals from 1960-1987. They did not move to Arizona until 1988, when they were initially known as the Phoenix Cardinals for five years before finally becoming the Arizona Cardinals in 1994.

Despite being the oldest NFL franchise, the Cardinals are far from the league’s most storied. The Cardinals won championships before the Super Bowl era began in 1925 and 1947, but have yet to win the Super Bowl. They have been to the big game just once—Super Bowl XLIII—when they lost a classic 27-23 to the Steelers.

More: Who Is the Oldest Player in the NFL Right Now?

Oldest teams in the NFL

Here are the 10 oldest teams in the NFL, and the year they joined the league.

1. Arizona Cardinals (1920)
2. Chicago Bears (1920)
3. Green Bay Packers (1921)
4. New York Giants (1925)
5. Detroit Lions (1930)
6. Washington Commanders (1932)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (1933)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (1933)
9. Los Angeles Rams (1937)
10. Cleveland Browns (1946)

Like the Cardinals, there were several other teams that were founded before joining the NFL. The Green Bay Packers were founded in 1919, and joined the league two years later in 1921. The Detroit Lions were founded as the Portsmouth Spartans in 1928, joined the NFL in 1930 and became the Detroit Lions in 1934.

The Washington Commanders, meanwhile spent their first four seasons in Boston, where they were first known as the Boston Braves. The franchise moved to Washington in 1937. The Los Angeles Rams also moved cities, becoming the first NFL team to move West when they left Cleveland for California in 1946. The Rams also spent two decades in St. Louis from 1995-2015.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns began play in the All-America Football Conference in 1946, a rival league. The Browns and 49ers would merge into the NFL in 1950 after the AAFC folded in 1949, and the Browns became NFL champions in their first season in the league.

Newest teams in the NFL

Following the early decades of the NFL, league expansion primarily took place in the 1960s and 1970s. This largely happened thanks to the creation of the rival AFL, which later merged with the NFL. There have been four other teams, however, that joined the NFL much more recently. Here are the NFL’s youngest teams, aka the four franchises that are less than 50 years old.

1. Houston Texans (2002)
2. Baltimore Ravens (1996)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (1995)
4. Carolina Panthers (1995)

The Houston Texans are the NFL’s youngest franchise, and the only team to join the league this century. Both Houston and Baltimore were awarded franchises after previously having teams that left town; the Houston Oilers to Tennessee and the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis. The Jaguars and Panthers, meanwhile, were both new cities for the league.

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