Sorry, Cleveland.
RELATED: When will the Bengals play in Las Vegas for the first time?
A
Decatur Staleys become the Chicago Staleys, 1921
A year later, they changed their name to the Bears. Though it has only won one Super Bowl, the franchise has nine NFL championships (trailing only Green Bay) and is one of the league’s iconic franchises with a strong connection to its fan base.
Dallas Texans become the Kansas City Chiefs, 1963
This franchise spent only three seasons in Texas and has gone on to be a strong franchise in Missouri.
After winning the AFL in 1962 in Dallas, they won it two more times in KC, including 1969 when they went on to beat the Vikings in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs are also regarded as having one of the best homefield advantages in the league with a college-like atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium.
Cleveland Browns become the Baltimore Ravens, 1996
Owner Art Modell famously tore the heart out of northeast Ohio when he announced during the 1995 season he was moving their beloved team.
To make matters worse for the fans they left behind, the Ravens gave their new fans a Super Bowl championship in 2000 and another one 12 years later.
B
Houston Oilers become the Tennessee Oilers, 1997
They did not change their name to the Titans until 1999, but the club has been above .500 since making the move north after posting a .463 winning percentage in 38 seasons in Texas.
However, the Houston franchise made the postseason 16 times and won the AFL twice while the Titans have only six playoff appearances and one Super Bowl appearance.
Boston Redskins become the Washington Redskins, 1937
I have to admit I did not know this happened until I started working on this post.
Anyway, the franchise has won more than half its games and five league championships (three Super Bowls) since moving south, so that qualifies as a success. Of course there is still time for Dan Snyder to get that grade changed.
Cleveland Rams become the Los Angeles Rams, 1946
The Rams won the NFL championship in 1945… and promptly moved to California. In so doing, they became the first team in any major sport to play its home games west of Kansas City and arguably jump-started the pro football’s process of overtaking baseball as the U.S.’s most popular league.
They only won one league title during their first stint in LA, but this gets a boost for its overall importance in the development of the league.
C
Oakland Raiders become the Los Angeles Raiders, 1982
There are those who remember the Silver and Black’s time in La La Land fondly, but their stint there couldn’t match what Al Davis’ team did in its first 21 seasons. The original Oakland Raiders made the playoffs 11 times and won two Super Bowls while posting a .638 winning percentage.
They won another Super Bowl in LA but weren’t quite as good – or at home.
Sadly, the second stint in Oakland did not go so well as the Raiders struggled to win more than 40 percent of their games from 1995-2016.
Baltimore Colts become the Indianapolis Colts, 1984
After famously fleeing the East Coast under the cover of darkness, the Colts have been a strong regular season team but not as successful in the postseason as they were before the left. Or as good as the team that replaced them 13 years later.
Los Angeles Chargers become the San Diego Chargers, 1961
The franchise played one season in LA in the AFL, losing the championship game, then spent their next five-plus decades in San Diego, where they won 49 percent of their games and made the playoffs 17 times, including one Super Bowl loss.
They are moving back to LA this fall.
D
Chicago Cardinals become the St. Louis Cardinals 1960
Ceding the Second City to the Bears didn’t go all that well for the Cardinals, who won less than half of their games in Chicago but were league champions twice. They never won a playoff game during their 28 seasons in St. Louis.
St. Louis Cardinals become Phoenix Cardinals, 1988
Then again, the Cardinals have arguably been even worse since leaving St. Louis for the desert. They have made five playoff appearances (and lost a Super Bowl) but are 81 games under .500.
Los Angeles Rams become St. Louis Rams, 1995
This is a hard one to evaluate because the team was terrible for much of its time in Missouri… but that is where the franchise won its only Super Bowl championship, too.
Still, the overall winning percentage in St. Louis was just .424 compared to .549 in the first 49 seasons in California, and they ultimately didn’t stay.
Portsmouth Spartans become the Detroit Lions, 1934
Seriously, who leaves Ohio for Michigan, anyway? At any rate, the team enjoyed a .636 winning percentage in its four seasons on the Ohio River and has posted a .452 mark north of the border with no Super Bowl appearances.
They have won four NFL championships in Motown, though, so we’ll give them a passing grade. Barely.
F
St. Louis Rams become the Los Angeles Rams (again), 2016
So far, so bad. The team drafted a potential franchise quarterback in Jared Goff but floundered to a 4-12 record in front of an average home attendance of 57,024 fans.
The only team to draw worse? The Raiders.
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