A compact NFL history focused on league formation, landmark rule changes, mergers, championship milestones, and the moments that shaped professional American football.
Representatives meet in Canton, Ohio, and form the league that will become the NFL.
The American Professional Football Association adopts the National Football League name.
Grange’s signing helps professional football attract national attention.
The league introduces a championship game after dividing teams into eastern and western divisions.
The first player draft is held as the league seeks competitive balance.
A rival league begins play and challenges the NFL in major markets.
Several AAFC teams, including the Cleveland Browns, join the NFL.
The Colts and Giants play a famous championship game that helps popularize professional football on television.
The AFL begins play as a rival league with new teams and a modern passing-oriented identity.
The NFL champion Green Bay Packers defeat the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game.
The New York Jets defeat the Baltimore Colts, giving the AFL a landmark upset before the merger.
The leagues combine into one organization with the AFC and NFC conferences.
A nationally televised weekly prime-time package changes the commercial reach of the league.
The regular season expands from 14 games to 16.
A players strike interrupts the season and leads to a shortened schedule.
A second strike produces games played partly with replacement players.
A new collective bargaining agreement introduces a salary cap and a more structured free agency system.
The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars begin play, expanding the league.
The Rams relocate from St. Louis back to Los Angeles.
SoFi Stadium hosts Super Bowl LVI, won by the Los Angeles Rams.
The league continues adding regular-season games outside the United States.