NFL membership and reform · 2122–2169
NFL membership & league history
The Raiders’ expulsion, Utah’s founding, and expansion and realignment under Andrew Castle.
2122: a 31-team NFL
The Raiders’ expulsion left 31 NFL franchises for the 2122 season. The league continued with an odd number of teams while preparing an expansion franchise. Las Vegas did not play in 2122.
2123: the Utah Coyotes
Salt Lake City, Toronto and San Diego bid for the open franchise position. Salt Lake City’s proposal was judged strongest overall. Utah entered through an expansion draft in the 2123 offseason and began play that season, returning the NFL to 32 teams.
The Utah Coyotes (UC) play in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the AFC West alongside Denver, Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers. They are a completely new expansion franchise. Their history starts in 2123; they inherit no Raiders games, championships, appearances, records, statistics, identity or legacy. The Raiders remain a separate, defunct historical franchise.
AFC West at Utah’s entry in 2123
Gunner Rhodes · Levi Cross · Denver Spy Gate 2.0 · Jayden Thompson · Raiders history · Seattle history · Utah Coyotes
2132–2169: Andrew Castle’s administration
Andrew Castle succeeded Jayden Thompson in 2132 and served until his voluntary retirement in 2169. His deputy commissionership ran from 2122 through 2131.
| Year | Change | Implementation and reaction |
|---|---|---|
| 2132 | Regular-season ties abolished | Tied games continued under playoff-style overtime until a winner was determined. The change was generally well received. |
| 2134 | Sixteen-team postseason | The playoff field expanded from seven to eight teams per conference. Division champions retained automatic qualification, and first-round byes were eliminated. Reception was mixed. |
| 2135 | Four expansion bids approved | San Diego, Toronto, Honolulu and Montreal were selected to begin play in 2138. San Diego joined the AFC and Toronto the NFC. London and Mexico City were considered but not selected. |
| 2136 | Weekly Thursday Night Football removed | The regular weekly Thursday schedule ended; Thanksgiving games remained. Games ordinarily took place on Sundays and Mondays. Players strongly supported the change, while many fans, broadcasters and most owners opposed it. The proposal passed by a single vote. |
| 2137 | Sixteen-game regular season restored | The league returned to 16 games over 17 weeks, with one bye, replacing 17 games over 18 weeks. Castle cited player safety and reduced injury exposure. Players generally supported the change, fans were furious, and owners were divided. It was approved. |
| 2138 | Thirty-six teams and geographical realignment | The four expansion franchises began play. Each conference had 18 teams in three six-team divisions. Geographical realignment broke up historical divisional rivalries and provoked widespread outrage. Castle acknowledged that he had failed to fully consider those rivalries. The alignment remained in place. |
| 2139 | Week 5 Rivalry Week | An annual Rivalry Week guaranteed important historical matchups, including Green Bay–Chicago and Dallas–Philadelphia. Reception was approximately evenly divided: some welcomed the games, while others considered them an inadequate response to realignment. Rivalry Week remained in effect. |
| 2144 | Annual Australian games | Three NFL games were held in Australia every November, with rotating host cities. The initiative was successful and received substantially more support than Castle’s repeated proposals for a permanent Australian franchise. |
The 2138 expansion
Approved in 2135, four franchises began playing in 2138. The league grew from 32 to 36 teams: 18 per conference, with three six-team divisions in each conference. The 16-team playoffs continued without first-round byes; division champions retained automatic qualification.
| City | Conference | Team identity and division | First season |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | AFC | Not Yet Documented | 2138 |
| Toronto | NFC | Not Yet Documented | 2138 |
| Honolulu | Not Yet Documented | Not Yet Documented | 2138 |
| Montreal | Not Yet Documented | Not Yet Documented | 2138 |
Australia and Canada
Castle’s 2135 proposal for a permanent Australian franchise, centered on Melbourne, failed 30–2. Eight subsequent attempts also failed: seven unanimously and one with six favorable votes. Three annual November games in Australia began in 2144, rotating among host cities. Castle continued seeking a permanent team.
Toronto hosted Super Bowl CLXXIV following the 2139 season; Montreal hosted CLXXVIII following 2143. Both games used domed venues and were successful. Canadian Super Bowl hosts →