Relocation, Relocation, Relocation: The fortunes of NFL teams that switch cities
By Paul Gould
The Chicago Bears, residents of the Windy City since 1921, could be on the verge of moving to a new home. With their lease on Soldier Field due to expire in 2033, the club is considering alternative venues in Illinois and Indiana.
In the latest twist, Bears CEO Kevin Warren announced on 13 August that the team’s “sole focus” is the Indiana option and the building of a new stadium in Hammond.
While the historic franchise has vowed to keep Chicago as the team’s name, leaving the city would mark a significant moment for both the Bears and the NFL.
The Bears founding father, George ‘Papa Bear’ Halas pitched moving the team to Arlington Heights in 1975 but was stymied by the Mayor of Chicago, who vowed to block the Bears from retaining the city’s name if the proposal went ahead. Gary, Indiana was also mooted as a possible new stadium venue at junctures in the two decades that followed. Soldier Field, initially meant to be a stopgap after the Bears left Wrigley Field in 1970, has until now remained the team’s home.
If a move does happen, the Bears wouldn’t be the first franchise to uproot in the modern era. But some switches have proven more controversial and ill-fated than others. When it doesn’t result in a name change or involve a major geographical upheaval, it barely registers – the 49ers transferring to Santa Clara, for example. But other relocations have drastically impacted the identity of the teams involved and left fanbases without a local club to root for.
A shiny new home doesn’t necessarily guarantee a brighter future.
Cardinals – St Louis to Phoenix/Arizona
The other founding NFL franchise still in existence alongside the Bears is the Cardinals. By the time the first Super Bowl was played, the Cards had already moved from Chicago to St Louis, where they stayed until 1988. Their 28-year tenure in St. Louis was hardly a success. The team made the playoffs on just three occasions in that period and failed to win a single postseason game.
Sharing Busch Stadium with their much more successful Major League baseball namesakes, a venue where they always felt like the lodger, the Cardinals perhaps developed an inferiority complex as their attendances dwindled.
In search of a new and brighter era, the Cardinals headed west to put down roots in Phoenix, Arizona. Their relocation eventually resulted in them joining the NFC West following division realignment in 2002. Despite taking the division title on three occasions since then, they have only managed to convert this into a Conference title once in 2008, before suffering a heartbreaking 27-23 defeat in Super Bowl XLIII against Pittsburgh.
Wherever the Cardinals call home, it seems they’re still searching for a truly happy one.
Colts – Baltimore to Indianapolis
Imagine waking up tomorrow morning to find that your local team has abandoned your town or city. That’s what effectively happened to Baltimore Colts fans on 29 March 1984. Overnight, Colts owner Bob Irsay brought in the removal trucks and shipped the organisation over to Indianapolis without warning.
This was Irsay’s final decisive move to retain control of the Colts following the apparent breakdown of negotiations with legislators over who would fund improvements to Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, legendary quarterback Johnny Unitas led the Colts to glory. The end of the Unitas reign coincided with the beginning of the Super Bowl era, but the Colts winning run continued into the 1970s with five postseason trips and victory in Super Bowl V.
Eventually, however, it was a case of diminishing returns as the Colts went into sharp decline. John Elway famously refused to play for the team after being drafted by Baltimore and the relocation to Indianapolis followed shortly after.
Although success in Indianapolis took time to materialise, the Colts have gone on to achieve much in their new home. They were an almost permanent postseason fixture over two decades between 2000 and 2020, securing two Super Bowl appearances in the process and lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 2007.
So, while the Colts relocation was dramatic and contentious, the fortunes of the franchise have remained on an upward curve since then.
Chargers – San Diego to LA
As is the case with many of these relocations, a desire for a new stadium drove the Chargers return to Los Angeles in 2017. Their initial stint in LA lasted just one season in 1960, and for more than half a century the franchise resided in San Diego. In that period, they won the AFC West title on nine occasions and made it all the way to the Super Bowl following the 1994 season, where they were dismantled by San Francisco.
The Chargers’ overall record in San Diego was a shade under .500. Since moving to LA, the team has compiled a slightly better winning record, albeit with a much smaller number of games played.
Whether in San Diego or LA, the Chargers have developed a ‘bridesmaid’ reputation, never quite fulfilling their potential despite being entertaining to watch for the most part. The current squad fits that bill perfectly.
Sharing SoFi Stadium with the Rams, the Chargers have lived in their neighbour’s shadow over the past decade. And with the Rams much fancied to go to the Super Bowl this season, that looks likely to continue.
Rams – LA to St Louis to LA
The lion’s share of the Rams existence has been spent in LA. Established in 1936, the team was successful in the pre-Super Bowl era and then throughout the 1970s, culminating in their first appearance in the big game in January 1980.
Eventually, after being dogged by financial struggles, the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1994, enticed by lucrative incentives attached to the switch. The highlight of the Rams time in Missouri was the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ era between 1999 and 2001 which featured a first ever Lombardi Trophy win for the franchise.
But it was feast to famine in the years that followed for St Louis, before another financially attractive offer lured the team back to LA.
Back in California, the Rams have gone on to secure another Super Bowl win in 2022 and currently sit among the NFL’s elite teams.
Raiders – Oakland to LA to Oakland to Las Vegas
Of all the franchises that have relocated, the Raiders have the itchiest feet having operated in three cities since formation. However, for most of their history to date, the Silver & Black were based in Oakland (1960-1981 and 1995-2019). And it’s in Oakland, which most fans still regard as the franchise’s spiritual home, where the Raiders enjoyed their most successful periods, especially first time around.
It took Al Davis famously winning a legal battle to get the team out of Oakland in 1981, following strong opposition from the rest of the league. Once the dust settled on the move, the Raiders did well initially in LA, winning Super Bowl XVIII along the way. But their fortunes soon faded, despite having the likes of Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson and Tim Brown on the roster.
Following a return to Oakland which saw the franchise achieve its fifth and most recent Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2002 season, the club has fallen on hard times. And the Raiders have yet to recapture their glory years despite their latest move to Vegas in 2020.
Oilers – Houston to Tennessee
This is one of two franchise relocations that eventually resulted in a complete name change. The Oilers 36-year association with the city of Houston came to a sticky end when owner Bud Adams’ demand for a new publicly funded stadium was rejected.
Following the team’s subsequent move to Tennessee in 1997, the Oilers name was retained for a further two seasons. On getting the keys to their new stadium in Nashville in 1999, Adams completed the franchise’s makeover by adopting the new name of the Titans.
And in their first season operating under their new moniker, the Titans made it to the Super Bowl, a feat that the club had failed to achieve in all their years as the Oilers. Famously, they came a yard shy of taking that game to overtime or attempting a two-point conversion for the win against the St. Louis Rams. A quarter century on and it remains the only Super Bowl appearance for either the Oilers or the Titans, despite reaching the playoffs on a total of 25 occasions.
Browns – Cleveland to Baltimore
This arguably ranks as the most controversial and acrimonious relocation of all. In late 1995, Browns owner Art Modell sparked fury among fans by announcing that the franchise would move to Baltimore ahead of the next season.
A legal battle ensued, the settlement of which meant that the team’s colours, name and history would remain in stasis in Cleveland. The team moving to Baltimore would begin a new life as the Ravens.
Happily, for fans in Cleveland, the Browns were reborn when the NFL expanded in 1999. However, Cleveland 2.0 has not come close to the success of the original version of the team. They have posted a cumulative record of 146-291-1 (.334 winning percentage) compared to 421-270-13 (.607 winning percentage) achieved by the 1946-1995 Browns.
Rubbing salt into that wound, the Ravens have achieved dizzy heights in their 30-year history. Not only have they made the playoffs on 16 occasions, but Baltimore has also collected a pair of Super Bowl titles along the way. Meanwhile, the Browns continue their wait to make their first appearance in the big game.
Bears - Chicago to ???
While they ponder a move, the Bears can learn lessons from the teams that have gone before them in finding pastures new.
Relocation has worked out for the Rams, Ravens, Colts and Titans to varying degrees. The jury is out on the Chargers move and, in terms of a change in fortunes, many Cardinals and Raiders fans will be wondering if it was worth the upheaval. As for Browns fans, it’s still a touchy subject 30 years on.
Chicago’s sole Super Bowl win was 40 years ago, having held homefield advantage through that playoff run. The current team shows signs of emerging from hibernation and perhaps securing the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage again soon. Should that happen, the lingering question over where their homefield’s location grows more urgent, but we may be moving closer to an answer.
PAUL GOULD
NFL ANALYST
A freelance writer and editor based in Cambridgeshire, Paul has avidly followed the NFL since the late 1980’s and spends much of his spare time wondering if he’ll ever see the Raiders play in a Super Bowl again.