The original NFL teams (the franchises that began in 1920 as the league that would become the NFL) were eight in number when the league’s early structure and playoffs took shape, though the league itself started with 14 teams in 1920. The eight teams most commonly identified as the core “Original 8” for historical purposes are:

• Chicago Bears (originally Decatur Staleys in 1919, joined APFA/NFL in 1920 as the Staleys, later became the Bears)
• Chicago Cardinals (originally in Chicago; later became St. Louis Cardinals, then Arizona Cardinals)
• Green Bay Packers (joined the NFL very early, often listed among the original core)
• New York Giants
• Boston Braves (the NFL’s team name that would become Washington Football Team / Washington Commanders)
• Portsmouth Spartans (later became the Detroit Lions)
• Staten Island Stapletons
• Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL team, not to be confused with the baseball team)

Notes and context:

• The NFL began in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) with 14 teams; over the ensuing years, team numbers fluctuated, and by 1932 the league consolidated into a structure that aligns with the modern NFL. Of the original 14, two persist in the league under different names or locations: the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals (originally Chicago Cardinals).

• The eight teams listed above are commonly referenced as the group around which the NFL’s modern era crystallized, particularly around the first post-season in 1932 and the subsequent consolidation of franchises. The identities and lineages of several teams have undergone relocations and name changes, which is why some teams appear with different city names or spellings in historical accounts.

If you’d like, I can tailor a concise timeline showing when each of these franchises was founded, joined the league, and any major relocations or name changes, with citations to reliable sources.