JUST RELOCATE, BABY!
L.A. BUCCANEERS? It could've happened. (By SI's count, at least 21 NFL teams have looked seriously toward La La Land over the years.) With a few twists of fate—a stadium fire avoided here, a handshake deal followed through on there—the NFL could look mighty different. Which, of course, led us to imagine that world.
1 | JACKSONVILLE OILERS
Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams flirted with Gator Bowl in '87
2 | ST. LOUIS STALLIONS
Proposed expansion team in '95
3 | HARTFORD RAMS
Lost to St. Louis in '94 Rams bid
4 | ARIZONA EAGLES
Handshake agreement in '84 fell through
5 | LOS ANGELES SEAHAWKS
NFL intervened to stop move in '96
6 | CLEVELAND BUCCANEERS
Bucs nearly became OSU Buckeyes' neighbors in '96
7 | SAN FRANCISCO CARDINALS
Then-Chicago Cards were expected to fly west in '46
8 | MEMPHIS FALCONS
Memphis was looking for a team right around the time Falcons weighed an '80s move
9 | ALBUQUERQUE SAINTS
Rumored destination in '05
10 | HOUSTON BEARS
Bob McNair tried to snag Bears in '99
11 | ORLANDO BENGALS
Orlando mayor Glenda Hood pitched team in '93
12 | CAROLINA COUGARS
Cougars ultimately lost to Panthers in naming decision
13 | CINCINNATI BUCKEYES
Owner Paul Brown chose Bengals nickname over fan fave Buckeyes
14 | WINSTON-SALEM BRONCOS
N.C. bid for Broncos in '67, after Denver stadium was voted down
15 | PORTSMOUTH (OHIO) LIONS
Played in Portsmouth until '34
16 | MIAMI PACKERS
Speculation had this as one of several destinations for relocation in '56
17 | PORTLAND COLTS
Owner Bob Irsay planned to meet with a Rose City developer in '79
18 | NEW ORLEANS TEXANS*
Dallas Texans chose K.C. instead in '63
19 | LAS VEGAS VIKINGS
Vegas resident bid for team in '98
20 | NEW YORK PATRIOTS
Donald Trump wanted to build Pats a stadium in '88
21 | SEATTLE BILLS
Threatened move in '68
22 | DALLAS GIANTS
Dallas's Clint Murchison Jr. inquired about purchase in '50s
23 | LOS ANGELES JETS
Discussed as part of '66 AFL-NFL merger
24 | SACRAMENTO RAIDERS
Sactown wooed Raiders in '87, '89
25 | LOUISVILLE STEELERS
Team considered a relocation offer in '56
26 | ATLANTA CHARGERS
Ownership chose San Diego instead in '60
27 | DALLAS 49ERS
Takeover attempt failed in '53
28 | BUFFALO REDSKINS
Boston '(Skins moved to D.C. instead
29 | BALTIMORE BOMBERS
Failed expansion attempt in '93
30 | BIRMINGHAM DOLPHINS
Jimmy the Greek considered the move "almost even money" in '77
31 | FRANKFORD (PA.) YELLOW JACKETS
Real team; five years after winning '26 NFL title, stadium fire dealt crippling blow to finances
32 | POTTSVILLE (PA.) MAROONS
Real team lost '25 NFL title due to controversial bans; folded in '29
*O.K., the name probably would have changed