What if the NFL expanded with 8 more teams.

Basketball season is finished with the exception of the NBA. So the other day as I was looking at some commentary about the NFL and some of the pre-season type conversations and so forth and it got me thinking, what would it look like if San Antonio had an NFL team. Of course, when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, there was some talk about moving the Saints over to San Antonio. Obviously, that didn’t happen. So I’m one of those folks that like numbers to be equal. In other words, If the NFL was to expand just one team to San Antonio, then there would a conference with five teams and the other seven with four teams. I don’t like that. So I did some checking on where to expand the NFL to 8 teams.

Let’s begin with the AFC East which currently has Buffalo, Maimi, New England, and the New York Jets. There is a lot history between these NFL franchises so adding an outsider might be difficult, however, when money is involved, the NFL might listen. Maimi is the farthest away from their division foes, so it might be nice to add another team close by.

Savannah Georgia is a beautiful fun filled community that the metropolitan area has almost 400,000 people. Savannah is also on the other end of the state from Atlanta and is in the top 100 television markets in the US. Why not Savannah Georgia as a team to add to the AFC East. You can name the team if you want, I’m going with the Savannah Pirates. The new AFC East will be Buffalo, Maimi, New England, New York Jets & Savannah Georgia.

Moving on to the AFC North the current teams who reside there are Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburg. So this one was not too easy figuring out who place with them, so I had to poach a current team. That team is no other than the Indianapolis Colts. Yep, that is correct. I think you will like who I replaced Indy within the AFC South. But that’ll be in a few minutes. So when looking at geography, this was really a no brainer. Why wasn’t Indy always with Baltimore, Cincy, Cleveland, and Pitt. Well, they are now. So here is the new look of the AFC North. Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Pittsburg

Next Up is the AFC South. So I took away Indy from Houston, Jacksonville, and Tennesee and replaced them with the Kansas City Chiefs. Yes, this will be good for the new AFC South with the addition of the expanded team out of Tulsa Oklahoma. What? Really? Yes I said Tulsa OK.

Believe it or not, Tulsa has the 61st TV market in the US, plus in the metro area, there are about a million people. This type of atmosphere is ripe for a professional franchise, specifically for an NFL team. Tulsa is far enough from Dallas and KC that they would benefit from this type of industry, not to mention the Tulsa area is right by the Arkansas River and the foothills of the Ozarks. So what could the name be? How about the Bobcats.

Let’s go out west and look at the AFC West division. Currently, the west is filled with Denver, KC, LA Chargers, and Oakland. Now since I placed KC with the NFC North and we want to expand by one more that means there are two openings. So the first will go to San Diego CA. This is an obvious one because San Diego had the Chargers there from 1961 to 2017. The Chargers franchise decided to move on to Los Angeles based upon no approval from the voters on new stadium downtown San Diego. There was a small economic impact with the Chargers leaving, especially in the taverns and bars, however, it has been that big of a hit. Of course, the whole NFL has been seeing decreasing attendance and exchanged money. The new name could be the San Diego Surfers

The new kid on the block for the AFC West is Portland Oregon. With a 2.4 million metro population and number 22 in the TV market, Portland folks won’t need to cheer for Seattle or San Fransico and maybe Oakland. Anyway, perhaps the Oregon Ducks needs some competition in the football category. Portland has a strong economy plus it is considered the “greenest” city in America. Yep the new AFC West expansion team is the Portland Mountaineers. So here is the new AFC West Denver, LA Chargers, Oakland, Portland, and San Diego.

Moving to probably the most storied division or teams in the NFL is the NFC North which is currently Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, and Minnesota. Three of the four oldest NFL franchises sit in the NFC North which is Chicago, Detroit, and Green Bay. Also, this is the most winningest, in championship terms, division there is. So to be added to this group is an honor, to say the least. The new expansion team would be out of St. Louis Missouri.

Ok, I know you wear hoping for something a bit different, but just hear me out. In the NFL it’s always about location right, well actually it’s more about a new stadium. If St. Louis can get the stadium they need and the NFL approves, which they disapproved last time, then St. Louis will be another great place. Don’t forget that they have 2.8 million in the metro area and they are number 21 in the TV market. Also, if you remember correctly, the only time the Rams ever won a Super Bowl was when they were in St. Louis. The new name I think should be is the St. Louis Commanders.

The NFC West was another fun one to figure out who can be the expansion team. The current enrollment of the NFC West is Arizona, LA Rams, San Fransico, and Seattle. So who in the west could possibly be considered? Let’s take a chance on Las Vegas Nevada. This is actually a no brainer as well. Now, I know that the Oakland Raiders will be leaving for Las Vegas, however, the Oakland Raiders should just stay. The new name for the expansion team in Las Vegas, this is an easy one, the Gamblers.

Moving to the south lets take a look at who is in the current NFC South. There is Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay. Now the “south” would not be the “south” without a little bit of Texas. So yes, maybe my ideas would come true when the NFC South brings in San Antonio as the expansion team.

San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the nation with 1.5 million and 2.4 million in the metro area plus the city is always on the move! Their TV market sits at 37 which is still in the top 100. This is the thing if California and Florida can have three NFL franchises, what make people think that Texas can’t, especially when we are the second most populated state. Just saying. There would be no need to build a new stadium since the Alamo Dome is perfect, the atmosphere in San Antonio is great, with the River Walk and of course, remember the Alamo. So the new NFC South would be Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, San Antonio and Tampa Bay. Now Dallas has the Cowboys and Houston has the Texans, so then what could the name be for a San Antonio NFL team? I’m going with the Rough Riders.

Finally we get to the NFC East which host my favorite team the Washington Redskins. Wait… Step on the breaks… I am so kidding! That would be the Dallas Cowboys. True and blue the Cowboys are my favorite NFL team. So the NFC East is made up of Dallas, New York Giants, Philidelphia, and Washington (D.C.). So where can we get another expansion team? Well, let’s take another in Florida. Yes, I know that they already have three teams, but fourth won’t hurt a bit.

Orlando Florida would certainly benefit from an NFL franchise and the NFL would also benefit. Orlando has a 2.5 million metro population plus they are number 19 in the TV market. Orlando and the area are full of fun and excitement, which surprises me that Orlando has had an NFL team. Perhaps maybe one of these days they will. The name for the new NFC East expansion team is the Orlando Gators.

So there you are. Although I don’t believe that any of this will ever happen, one could hope. This would really expand a lot of markets and make an economic impact, plus it would allow more college athletes to enter into a post-collegiate opportunities that they love. Tell me what you think.