The Rise and Fall of Defunct NFL Teams

It wasn’t always that way, as defunct franchises didn’t last long in the NFL in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. The only current NFL franchises that have never won an NFL title are the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Carolina Panthers, and the Houston Texans.

The Baltimore Ravens were brought on when the Baltimore Colts left town, while the Cleveland Browns were an inactive franchise in the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons.

Let’s examine the many defunct NFL franchises. Each has a story to tell, even if none played in the longest NFL game.

Breaking Down the Franchises That Broke Down

Which Defunct Franchise Had the Best Record?

The Detroit Wolverines were only around for one season, but their performance was impressive. After they relocated from Cleveland, the Wolverines finished 7-2-1 during the 1928 NFL season. It is hard to top that one-hit wonder when looking at former NFL teams.

LeRoy Andrews was the head coach for a team that posted two shutouts in a 3-0 start before losing 25-7 to the Frankford Yellow Jackets, another defunct franchise. The following week, Detroit lost on the road to Providence. That was followed by a 19-19 tie with the New York Giants.

The Detroit franchise was bought out by Giants owner Tim Mara, who closed down the Wolverines and brought many of the top players to the Giants.

The New York Yankees, the Canton Bulldogs, and the Rock Island Independents had the best records among defunct NFL teams that played for more than one season.

The Yankees were 35-17-2 from 1946 to 1949 but were 0-3 in the playoffs. Canton was 38-19-11 from 1920 to 1926. The Bulldogs won the NFL title in 1922 and 1923, finishing 21-0-3 in those two seasons. Jim Thorpe and Greasy Neale were among the Hall of Famers to play for Canton.

Rock Island was 26-14-12 from 1920 to 1925.

What Year Did The Most Teams Fold?

Seven teams stopped playing after the 1921 season, five of which were in the NFL for just that one season. Five years later, Canton Bulldogs were among 12 franchises to play for the final time.

Canton and the Akron Indians were the only ones to fold up shop with winning records.

Teams regularly shuttered during the 1934 season. Ten teams folded from 1944 to 1952. The Brooklyn Tigers had the longest run, going 60-100-9 from 1930 to 1944.

How Many Defunct Franchises Won NFL Titles?

Let’s look at the franchises that no longer exist but are in the record books thanks to winning NFL championships.

Canton is the only defunct franchise with multiple NFL titles, while the Akron Indians, Cleveland Bulldogs, Providence Steam Roller, Frankford Yellow Jackets, and Akron Pros each captured the title once.

How Many NFL Franchises Never Won A Game

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got off to a horrific start in the NFL, losing their first 26 games. However, they would win a pair of Super Bowl titles. Other teams that searched for that elusive first win were less fortunate.

The Kenosha Maroons were 0-4-1 in 1924, their only year in existence. The Muncie Flyers, New York Brickley Giants, and Tonawanda Kardex were a combined 0-6 before folding in 1921.

Among the teams playing at least 30 games, the worst record belonged to the Minneapolis Red Jackets, who were 6-33-1 from 1921 to 1930.

How Many Original Franchises Are Still Around

The Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals are the only current NFL franchises that played in the first season. The Bears are known as the Monsters of the Midway, at least when they are title contenders. That is one of the best NFL nicknames.

While the Bears have been the rock of the NFL, with no franchise moves since their debut season in 1920, the Cardinals have spent time in Chicago, Racine, St. Louis, Phoenix, and now Glendale.

The only thing the Bears and Cardinals have in common is that they joined the NFL in the same season. The Bears have more than 200 additional wins and seven more NFL titles. Chicago has won 24 division titles since 1920, compared to just eight for the Cardinals.

The Green Bay Packers joined the following year and have won a record 31 division titles and 13 NFL championships.

The New York Giants made their NFL debut in 1925, followed by the Detroit Lions in 1930, the Washington Redskins (now the Commanders) in 1932, and the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers joined in 1933.

Pittsburgh is tied with New England, which entered the NFL in 1960, with six Super Bowl titles.

How Many Defunct Franchises Won NFL Championship Games

While we mentioned the defunct franchises crowned as NFL champions, there was no game like the current Super Bowl for them to celebrate as the best team in the NFL.

The first NFL championship game came in 1933 when the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants 23-31 before a crowd of 26,000 at Wrigley Field.

Before the Super Bowl era began, the first team to play in the NFL title game and then relocate the franchise was the Boston Redskins, who moved to Washington in 1937 after losing to Green Bay in the 1936 NFL championship at the Polo Grounds.

The 1945 NFL champion Cleveland Rams left for Los Angeles. The Baltimore Colts won the NFL titles in 1958 and 1959 and Super Bowl V following the 1970 season.

The Oakland Raiders won two Super Bowls and another as the Los Angeles Raiders. The franchise is now located in Las Vegas.

The Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV while in St. Louis and Super Bowl LVI at the end of the 2021 season while situated in Los Angeles.