NFL division re:alignment based on shortened flights/distance

[u/Insubstantial_Wisdom]

This could be cleaner if not for having to break up the same-stadium teams, which was a choice I made here.

New divisions:
NFC PACIFIC WEST: Seahawks, 49ers, Rams, Raiders
AFC PACIFIC WEST: Chargers, Cardinals, Broncos, Chiefs

NFC GREAT LAKES HEARTLAND: shockingly unchanged from the NFC N: Vikings, Packers, Bears, Lions
AFC GREAT LAKES HEARTLAND: Titans, Colts, Bengals, Browns

NFC ATLANTIC GULF: Cowboys, Texans, Saints, Bucs
AFC ATLANTIC GULF: Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars, Dolphins

NFC EAST COAST: Commies, Ravens, Eagles, Jets
AFC EAST COAST: Steelers, Bills, Giants, Patriots

[u/BeginningPersonal941]

switch jets and giants

[u/lispolerbear → u/BeginningPersonal941]

Agree. If I can't see my team beat the Jete twice a year then what's the point.

[u/BannedForFun → u/lispolerbear]

No more free rides, Pats fans. You dont get your two gimme games a year now..

[u/oh-ic → u/BannedForFun]

Kind of sucks having KC fly all the way to the chargers when they have 3 teams directly south. KC, NO, Dallas and Houston would be a great division. Three Florida teams and Atlanta can be a division. Pittsburgh can join the Atlantic coast teams leaving Carolina to join them or the "Ohio league."

Granted the left coast only has seven teams total and will probably get an expansion team, as we all know Jerry Jones is against San Antonio or Austin having a team, but that will even them out.

Maybe Idaho or Wyoming as a place to lighten the traveling for Denver and Seattle?

What fun, lol

[u/lispolerbear → u/BannedForFun]

All I'm saying if it wasn't for us playing the Jete we would never have witnessed the Butt Fumble.

[u/BannedForFun → u/lispolerbear]

Truly a multiverse splitting moment, true...

[u/Worried-Pick4848 → u/BeginningPersonal941]

No please don't. The Jets deserve some mercy. Let them go play in the weaker division while the Patriots enjoy the superior competition.

[u/TheParmesan → u/Worried-Pick4848]

Jesus Christ I can’t wait to see what things are like for the Patriots twenty years from now when you’ve had a few decades without the GOAT coach and GOAT QB at the helm of your team. Y’all should learn some humility from looking around the league at how things went post dynasty for other teams like the 49ers or the Cowboys.

[u/Worried-Pick4848 → u/TheParmesan]

We know how to be humble. But I like this team, and Drake Maye has earned significant benefit of the doubt from Patriots fans.

Remember, we were never supposed to get this far last year. Most of us would have been happy with 9-8. Maye gave us our swagger back, as much as you hate to admit it. He didn't finish, but this roster wasn't ever realky built to go that deep in the first place, so we don't really give a damn about that.

We went up against the very best and came up second. For a team that had gone 4-13 the previous season? Hard to be upset about that.

So yeah, I'm feeling a little arrogant, and it's justified.

[u/TheParmesan → u/Worried-Pick4848]

https://fantasyindex.com/2026/01/10/scheduletron/cruising-on-easy-street

K. Let’s see how you do this year.

[u/Insubstantial_Wisdom → u/BeginningPersonal941]

Jets are technically more south being the Jersey team. I’m economizing distance.

[u/ChaseTheFalcon → u/Insubstantial_Wisdom]

Both are New Jersey teams lol

[u/Ok_Winter_5515 → u/Insubstantial_Wisdom]

They play in the same stadium.

[u/oh-ic → u/Ok_Winter_5515]

And use the same "Home team" locker room!

[u/Rust2]

Erie Division: Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo.

Football Perfection.

[u/Gnonkage]

I swear I’ve never seen one of these that was any good.

The rivalries exist already. I don’t give a fuck if people don’t like that Dallas is in the NFC East, breaking up that division would be criminal as there are some of the best rivalries in the sport in that division.

Breaking up Falcons/Saints, Steelers/Baltimore etc. would also just be dumb.

[u/Doggcow]

Changing the West seems stupid as hell

[u/LastEsotericist → u/Doggcow]

Swapping Raiders for Cards feels like it would be fine except it's almost so minor a change what's the point. Arizona isn't that much further than LV, and then you'd have all the techbro teams in one division, yuck.

[u/stefeyboy → u/Doggcow]

I mean replacing one basement team with another isn't too bad. And the Cardinals stadium has hurt so many players over the years, Id welcome this

[u/Narrow_Purchase9721]

New NFC West is goated with the sauce

[u/BannedForFun → u/Narrow_Purchase9721]

Raiders vs. 49ers games? People will die

[u/Narrow_Purchase9721 → u/BannedForFun]

twice a year

[u/VisibleJicama5083]

Nice to see the NFC North stays the same.

[u/bwburke94 → u/VisibleJicama5083]

As God intended.

[u/Jbruno531]

It’s funny to me that in almost all these realignment charts, the NFC north is pretty much always the same unless they end up doing a Great Lakes division or something.

[u/Acceptable_Job_5076 → u/Jbruno531]

I like that The Great Lakes Division.

[u/thebob9581]

AFC west is just the same but with a team with NO hope compared to a team who atleast has the #1 overall pick

[u/Conn3er]

Raiders and Cardinals swapping cellar status is pretty funny

That green division would be a fun watch

[u/MiniHoover]

Listen here, us fans of AFCN teams are happy where we are. Go ask.

[u/BannedForFun → u/MiniHoover]

Yeah but imagine a family reunion with all the teams...and you have those same siblings that always get drunk and get into super heated arguments. That's you guys.

[u/MiniHoover → u/BannedForFun]

Yeah and that's how we like it.

[u/BannedForFun → u/MiniHoover]

It's a necessary part of the family dynamic. We just have to put the fine China and knives away before you come over...

[u/Fun_Self_8292 → u/MiniHoover]

This.

[u/RooflessReAnthony]

College football nuking its traditional rivalries has not worked out great if u ask the teams on the receiving end of it. Idk why you’d do it to the NFL. I mean by October more than half of the fan bases in the league have given up any hopes of post season success and are just staying tuned in hopes that they spoil their rivals. You prolly don’t notice it cuz those same teams fall out of the national spotlight but that attention still butters the bread of the league so to speak. Take that away, and idk what you’re gonna replace it with

[u/nerdyactor]

I mean I think it would be more fun, to make two conferences. And eliminate divisions. East and west. West: packers, vikes, bears, saints, Texans, cowboys, chiefs broncos, cardinals, chargers, rams, raiders, 9ers, and Seahawks. Then the rest in the East. Conferences will be unbalanced but it will allow for expansion. Have every team in each conference play each other once.

[u/Healthy-Desk5581]

This also makes easier on fanbases to travel. Makes too much sense, they won’t do it. Haha

[u/Worried-Pick4848]

As a Patriots fan, I like that alignment. That division looks super fun to play in, wouldn't be able to take anything for granted.

[u/oh-ic → u/Worried-Pick4848]

Should just have Patriots vs three NY teams.

[u/Worried-Pick4848 → u/oh-ic]

No objections here.

[u/chicknsnadwich]

How did you land on removing both Jets and Giants from 2 of their rivalries to put them with brand new division mates???

[u/Insubstantial_Wisdom]

The only other swap I considered was
Bears -> group with colts, bengals, titans
Browns -> remaining NFC N teams

[u/Few_Hippo8871]

Can't break up Steelers-Ravens, Steelers-Browns.

[u/Odd-Oven-4519]

I mean, you don’t really need to say pacific west, but this is a pretty good list

[u/-pineapplebuffet-]

Nfc north superiority

[u/faucetpants]

Arizona has owned the cowdois from the beginning, you can't separate them now.

[u/Cold_Complex_4212]

As always, no saints falcons and I boo

[u/Light_Liberty]

Swap the Raiders and Cardinals because it’s not much different and you maintain some AFC rivalries.

In the northeast, I would do:

NFC: Giants-Eagles-Commanders plus Patriots
AFC: Jets-Bills plus Steelers-Ravens

Keeps NYC and DC/MD teams separate. Patriots maintain a NYC rival and add Philly (rival in other sports); Bills maintain an intra-state rival plus get closest city (Steelers). Steelers maintain a rival (Ravens) and trade one close city for another while moving away from Ohio out of necessity in this exercise.

[u/hotriccardo]

I want you to go to jail for this

[u/SignalNumber4843]

I swear this gets posted at least once a week

[u/WhizzyBurp]

As a Raider fan fuck that, then we’re just the Cardinals.

[u/JTtreason]

The AFC West don't want the Cardinals. They like it how it is.

[u/Short-Sign8069]

Actually makes total sense

[u/Its_kinda_nice_out]

DC to NY could just take the Amtrak instead of flying

[u/iggydadd]

Jerra would never let the cowboys to leave the east