American Football League (AFL) teams

The American Football League (AFL) operated from 1960 until its merger with the National Football League (NFL) in 1970. The league’s teams helped popularize the modern style of professional American football and laid groundwork for later NFL scheduling and playoff structures. This article summarizes the AFL teams that played before the 1970 merger, including their locations and franchise identities across the league’s final years.

Overview of AFL franchise history

When the AFL began in 1960, it was an eight-team competitor to the established NFL. By the time of the 1970 merger, the AFL had expanded to include ten teams, reflecting both the league’s growth and the competitive pressure it created. Many franchises from the AFL years were absorbed into the NFL, where their names and markets largely persisted.

Several AFL clubs established enduring rivalries, including matchups between teams that later became NFL divisional opponents. Players and coaching staffs frequently moved between the AFL and NFL after the merger, and the leagues’ merger agreement also influenced how divisions and scheduling were organized. Key aspects of this era are commonly discussed in histories of the American Football League and the 1970 NFL–AFL merger.

Team list: AFL franchises (final pre-merger lineup)

In 1969, the AFL consisted of ten teams. The following franchises represent the league’s major markets just before merger play began in 1970.

• Boston Patriots (later New England Patriots)
  The franchise began as the Boston Patriots and played its games in the Boston area during the AFL years.

• Buffalo Bills
  The Buffalo Bills were among the AFL’s original franchises and continued into the NFL after the merger.

• Denver Broncos
  The Denver Broncos represented Denver and remained a continuing member of the merged league.

• Houston Oilers
  The Houston Oilers franchise played in Houston during the AFL era and later continued under the same lineage in the NFL.

• Kansas City Chiefs
  The Kansas City Chiefs participated in AFL competition from the start and carried forward into the merged NFL.

• Los Angeles Chargers
  The Los Angeles Chargers were based in Los Angeles during the AFL period and became one of the most prominent surviving AFL identities.

• Oakland Raiders
  The Oakland Raiders played in the AFL and later became a central figure in NFL history, continuing as a major-market franchise.

• New York Jets
  The New York Jets were known in their AFL years as the Titans before becoming Jets, and they continued after the merger.

• San Diego Chargers
  By the early 1970s, the Chargers’ location is often described with later naming conventions; the franchise’s AFL-era presence is commonly associated with the San Diego Chargers lineage.

• Miami Dolphins
  The Miami Dolphins represented Florida and joined the AFL as an expansion team, becoming one of the league’s most successful franchises in later AFL seasons.

Expansion and franchise movement

The AFL’s team membership was not static. The league added franchises over time, and some clubs changed their city or branding as market and stadium considerations shifted. This is often discussed alongside broader AFL expansion history in works covering the American Football League and the transition that followed the 1970 NFL–AFL merger.

Franchise movement affected both fan bases and competitive balance. For example, the Chargers’ identity is frequently referenced through later NFL naming and location, while the Jets’ early AFL-era brand (and subsequent change) is part of how historians trace continuity from AFL rosters and coaching to NFL participation.

Competitive impact and legacy of the AFL clubs

AFL teams were influential in changing how professional football was played and marketed. Coaches and players often highlighted speed, open passing attacks, and innovative schemes, which contrasted with many traditional approaches. These styles became more common across the merged NFL as AFL talent and philosophies were integrated.

The legacy of AFL franchises is also reflected in the league’s championship history. The AFL postseason culminated in the AFL Championship Game, and the merged league later incorporated those teams and results into its broader historical records. Individual teams’ success in the AFL years is frequently used to contextualize later NFL achievements, such as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders, whose identities are closely tied to AFL-era roots.

Merger into the NFL and divisional alignment

The 1970 merger combined the AFL and NFL into a single league and created new conference structures. AFL clubs were placed into the NFL’s American Football Conference (AFC), where they became part of the modern divisional system. This transitional period is covered in histories of the merger and the resulting organization of the NFL’s conferences.

As a result, the AFL teams discussed above are generally remembered not only for their pre-merger seasons but also for how they transitioned into the NFL’s longer-term structure. The continuity of many franchises—such as the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos—illustrates how the AFL’s markets and fan bases became established within the merged NFL framework.

See also

• American Football League
• 1970 NFL–AFL merger
• AFL Championship Game
• List of American Football League teams
• List of National Football League rivalries

Categories: American Football League, American football teams, NFL franchises