How Many NFL Teams Are in California?

How Many NFL Teams Are in California? The short answer is none. The long answer is a little more complicated.

Introduction

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world. The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held on the first Sunday in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

The History of NFL Teams in California

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league. NFL teams began appearing in California in the 1920s, with the first team being the Los Angeles Buccaneers. Today, there are three NFL teams in California: the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers, and the San Diego Chargers. In this article, we will take a look at the history of NFL teams in California.

The First NFL Team in California

In 1946, the Los Angeles Rams became the first NFL team in California. The Rams were originally based in Cleveland, Ohio, but relocated to Los Angeles in 1936. The team played its home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In 1948, the San Francisco 49ers joined the NFL as an expansion team. The 49ers played their home games at Kezar Stadium.

The Second NFL Team in California

The Oakland Raiders were the second team in California, and they began play in the AFL in 1960. The Raiders were a charter member of the AFL, and they won one league championship in 1967. The team moved to the NFL in 1970 as part of the AFL-NFL merger. The Raiders have been to four Super Bowls, winning three of them.

The Third NFL Team in California

In 1994, the Los Angeles Raiders returned to Oakland after 13 seasons in Southern California, leaving the state without an NFL franchise for the first time since 1950. But that wouldn’t last long. In 1995, the Los Angeles Rams moved from Anaheim to St. Louis, and were replaced by the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. The following year, the Houston Oilers became the Tennessee Titans, and relocated to Nashville. Then, in 1997, the Cleveland Browns became the Baltimore Ravens.

All told, California has been home to three NFL teams at various points in history: the Raiders (who began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League), the Rams (who moved from Cleveland following the 1945 season), and the Chargers (an original AFL team who began play in Los Angeles in 1960 before moving to San Diego in 1961).

The Fourth NFL Team in California

In 2014, the Oakland Raiders announced their intention to move to Las Vegas. This would have left California with only three NFL teams: the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Chargers (who were in San Diego at the time). However, in 2017, the Chargers announced they would be moving to Los Angeles as well, making them the fourth NFL team in California.

The Current Number of NFL Teams in California

As of the 2020 season, there are a total of four NFL teams located in California. These teams are the Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Chargers, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Oakland Raiders.

The Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that play in the National Football League (NFL). They are headquartered in Inglewood, California, and compete in the NFL’s NFC West division. The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League (AFL) before joining the NFL the next year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when they moved to St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016.

There are currently three NFL teams located in California:
-Los Angeles Rams (NFC West)
-Los Angeles Chargers (AFC West)
-Oakland Raiders (AFC West)

The San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They compete in the National Football League as a member of the league’s National Football Conference West division. The 49ers began play as an expansion team in 1946, and won five NFC championships between 1981 and 1994, culminating in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, and XXIII.

The San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team in San Diego, California. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The Chargers began play in 1960 as charter members of the American Football League (AFL). In 1961, they joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger

Conclusion

There are a total of three NFL teams in California. The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams both play in the state’s Bay Area, while the Los Angeles Chargers are based in greater Los Angeles.