Which states have multiple NFL teams?

With 32 franchises in the National Football League, more than half of the U.S. states could house an NFL team, but only 22 currently hold that distinction.

Sixteen states host one NFL team, but six have more than one franchise to their name. Below we look at those U.S. states that have multiple NFL teams.

California (3) 

NFL franchises: Chargers, Rams, 49ers

Once the leader of states with the most NFL teams, at one point California had franchises in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Oakland all at the same time. With the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas in 2020, California dropped into a tie with Florida for the state with the most teams, at three.

The San Francisco 49ers have been a California mainstay since they were founded in 1946, while the Los Angeles Chargers got their start in L.A. but moved to San Diego in 1961 and stayed there until 2017, when ownership chose to return to the City of Angels.

The Chargers and Los Angeles Rams both play home games inside SoFi Stadium, which opened in 2020 and cost around $6 billion.

The Rams originally got their start in Cleveland, from 1936-1945 (operations were suspended briefly in 1943). The franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1946 and remained until 1994 before a 20-year stint in Saint Louis, when the Rams were known as The Greatest Show on Turf and won Super Bowl XXXIV. In 2016, the Rams came back to Los Angeles and won the franchise's second Super Bowl in 2021.

Florida (3)

NFL franchises: Jaguars, Dolphins, Bucs

In 1995, when the Jacksonville Jaguars became the latest NFL expansion team alongside the Carolina Panthers, the state of Florida bumped up their total of NFL franchises to three.

Aside from the Jaguars, who are now part of the AFC South, Florida is home to the Miami Dolphins, established in 1965, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played their first season in 1976.

In total, four Super Bowl titles belong to Florida, with two each earned by Miami and v.

Maryland (2)

NFL franchises: Ravens, Commanders

One of the oldest NFL teams, the Washington Commanders were founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves but changed their name to the Redskins the following year before ultimately moving to the D.C. area in 1937.

Following controversy surrounding their nickname, the franchise went by "The Washington Football Team" from 2020-2021, then adopted the Commanders mascot beginning in 2022.

While the Commanders belong to the NFC, Washington has an AFC member as well in Baltimore. The Ravens became an expansion team in 1996 when Art Modell, then-owner of the Cleveland Browns, relocated the franchise to Baltimore but was required to leave the Browns' intellectual property in Cleveland.

New Jersey  (2)

NFL franchises: Giants, Jets

While they boast New York in their names, both the Giants and the Jets technically belong to New Jersey, as they both play their home games in East Rutherford at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants were founded first, in 1925, and are the fourth oldest NFL franchise. In 1970, they became a permanent member of the NFC East and are part of one of the NFL's oldest rivalries with the Philadelphia Eagles. In total, the Giants have won eight league championships, four of which occurred before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Their four Super Bowl titles came in 1986, 1990, 2007, and 2011.

The New York Jets were established in 1959 as the Titans of New York, but the Jets moniker was adopted in 1963. The Jets are members of the AFC East and have won just one Super Bowl title, in Super Bowl III, where Joe Namath led his team to an upset over the Baltimore Colts.

Ohio (2)

NFL franchises: Bengals, Browns

Ohio may have two longtime NFL franchises, but it is still waiting on its first Super Bowl title. The Cleveland Browns arose first, with their first season in 1946, when they won their first of four AAFC championships. The Browns also collected four NFL championships before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 and fielded several winning teams for the next two decades.

In 1995, Art Modell announced his plans to relocate the team to Baltimore, but the city of Cleveland threatened legal action and Modell was forced to establish his new franchise, the Baltimore Ravens, as an expansion team. The Cleveland Browns franchise suspended operations from 1996 to 1998 and entered a long period of struggle upon resuming operations in 1999. In the last four seasons under head coach Kevin Stefanski, the Browns have found success, making the playoffs twice in that span.

As for the Cincinnati Bengals, who played their first season in 1968, the franchise has also endured plenty of struggle but has found new life with the play of franchise quarterback Joe Burrow and star receiver Ja'Marr Chase. The Bengals have reached the Super Bowl three times, including in the 2021 season, when they lost 23-20 to the Los Angeles Rams. The Bengals also competed in Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XXIII, losing both to the 49ers. 

Pennsylvania (2)

NFL franchises: Steelers, Eagles

Pennsylvania is one of the most successful states when it comes to Super Bowl glory. The Pittsburgh Steelers alone boast six Super Bowl titles, tied with the New England Patriots for the most of any franchise, and the Philadelphia Eagles own one title, which they achieved by beating the Patriots during the 2017 season.

Both the Eagles and Steelers were founded in 1933 and have more than 60 combined playoff appearances. The Eagles belong to the NFC, while the Steelers are part of the AFC.

Texas (2)

NFL franchises: Cowboys, Texans

In 1960, "America's Team" was born but got off to a rocky start, failing to win one game in the Cowboys' inaugural season. Head coach Tom Landry eventually turned the tide, leading Dallas to consecutive conference championship games, where they lost both times to the Green Bay Packers, in 1966 and 1967. He then won the Super Bowl in 1971 and 1977 with the help of quarterback Roger Staubach.

Iconic owner Jerry Jones took over in 1989 and hired Jimmy Johnson, who led the Cowboys to a pair of Super Bowl titles in 1992 and 1993. Dallas won another title in 1995 under Barry Switzer, but have failed to make it back to the big game ever since.

Nonetheless, the Cowboys continue to rank as the most valuable NFL franchise, with Forbes listing their value at $9 billion in 2023.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Houston Texans were founded in 2002, the newest franchise to date, and have reached the postseason seven times, never making it past the Divisional Round thus far.