Proposing a New Structure for NFL Divisions

Ever wonder what it would be like if the NFL's franchises actually played in divisions that reflected their geographic location?

Get ready to imagine new divisional rivalries like Bengals and Colts, Cowboys and Saints, Jaguars and Dolphins, and more because this NFL division realignment not only makes more sense geographically. It also highlights the amazing history and culture of the league and its storied franchises. Geographically close teams naturally build up rivalries, so the new contenders placed in over half the NFL divisions in my realignment below already have a contentious history with the teams in their new division, especially if they're in the same state.

Here is the new realignment by division, with the new team in bold:

AFC East

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

New England Patriots

New York Jets

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Tennessee Titans

AFC West (no changes)

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

San Diego Chargers

NFC East

Carolina Panthers

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

NFC North (no changes)

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

Dallas Cowboys

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC West (no changes)

Arizona Cardinals

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

With football season upon us again, talk of rivalries sweeps the nation. Some of those rivalries are pretty heated because they've lasted so long and therefore run deep. Realigning the divisions to reflect teams' geography would mix things up, spark new rivalries, and take some of the sometimes violent pressure off the old ones. Not only that, this realignment would pretty much eliminate some inappropriate current division rivalries, like those between the Cowboys and all their NFC East rivals. (I respect the Cowboys' legacy and all, but---let's be honest---they never belonged in the NFC East).

The realignment would split the country into four regions; north, south, east and west. Quite simply, a team would be placed in the division corresponding to their region.

Starting alphabetically with the AFC East, the new kid on the block would be the Ravens from the AFC North. They would replace the Dolphins, who would move from the AFC East to the AFC South.

The Indianapolis Colts would get the boot out of the AFC South and join the AFC North. This just makes so much more sense. They shouldn't be in the AFC South because Indiana simply is not a southern state. Also, placing the Colts in the AFC North would create a very intriguing rivalry between them and the Bengals, since Cincinnati and Indianapolis are only about two hours apart by car.

The AFC West would stay the same.

The Panthers would join the party in the NFC East, while the Cowboys would go to the NFC South with the Buccaneers, Falcons, and Saints.

The NFC North is fine the way it is, as is the NFC West.

So, there really would only be five changes:

1. The Ravens move from the AFC North to the AFC East

2. The Dolphins move from the AFC East to the AFC South

3. The Colts move from the AFC South to the AFC North

4. The Panthers move from the NFC South to the NFC East

5. The Cowboys move from the NFC East to the NFC South.

Just think of the time, money, energy and gas teams would save. As we try to become more environmentally aware as a society, it just makes sense to cut down travel distance between rivals since they meet twice a year. I was curious, so I did the math. I used the mileage by car as the metric (except for Miami to Houston).

Starting with Baltimore:

Currently, the Ravens and their division rivals have to travel to and from Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. In the new alignment, they would travel to and from New York (East Rutherford, NJ), Buffalo, and Foxborough.

Ravens:

Current rival cities	Miles	New rival cities	Miles
Cleveland	373	New York	205
Cincinnati	508	Buffalo	369
Pittsburgh	247	Foxborough	392
Total	1,128	Total	966

The Cowboys wouldn't have to travel all the way to the Northeast three times a season, and their division rivals wouldn't have to travel all the way to Dallas.

Cowboys:

Current rival cities	Miles	New rival cities	Miles
New York	1,458	New Orleans	506
Washington, D.C.	1,328	Atlanta	782
Philadelphia	1,467	Tampa	1,103
Total	4,253	Total	2,391

The Colts wouldn't have to travel all the way to Jacksonville and Houston, and the Jaguars and Texans wouldn't have to go all the way up to Indianapolis every year. Here's the breakdown for each city:

Colts:

Current rival city	Miles	New rival city	Miles
Nashville	288	Cincinnati	112
Jacksonville	879	Cleveland	317
Houston	1,015	Pittsburgh	359
Total	2,182	Total	788

And look at the Dolphins. OK, technically it is in the east part of the country, but they have to travel all the way to New York, Buffalo, and New England every year; and the Jets, Bills, and Patriots have to go all the way to Miami. It just doesn't make sense.

Dolphins:

Current rival city	Miles	New rival city	Miles
Buffalo	1,393	Jacksonville	353
New York	1,290	Houston	967 (flight line)
Foxborough	1,488	Nashville	913
Total	4,171	Total	2,233

Panthers:

Current rival city	Miles	New rival city	Miles
Atlanta	244	New York	630
Tampa	575	Philadelphia	543
New Orleans	713	Washington, D.C.	401
Total	1,532	Total	1,574

Oh, c'mon Panthers! Why do you have to mess up everything? Still, it's just an extra 42 miles the Panthers and their new rivals would have to travel.

All in all, the new division alignment would benefit everyone. As for the Panthers, for a few dozen extra miles a year they'd get games in the nation's largest markets. For the Cowboys, maybe this new change would snap their playoff woes.

Just think of the new division rivalries. There'd be an interstate rivalry between the Jags and Dolphins. The Cowboys would shake things up in an NFC South that just seems to be growing stagnant in recent years (even though the Saints, Bucs, and Falcons do look exciting the beginning of this year). The Panthers would get their chance to solidify their legacy by playing the NFC East's storied franchises.

And yes, I did take this opportunity to change Washington's logo back to their old one while making the map above. Let's admit it, everyone wants it back. If "Redskins" will never return, let's at least bring back the old uniforms and call the team the Natives or something. As a Giants fan, the Redskins were the one division rival I didn't hate. They had a respectable franchise. Now, with their new name, I can't stand all three rivals. Let's honor tradition, people. Anyway, that rambling tangent ends here.

What do you think? How would this change the dynamics of the NFL? Would it be good or bad for competition, for fan bases, and for football in general? Let me know in the comments.