The agreement first came into form when the NFL began to discuss a merger with the AFL. The terms of the agreement included:
- The leagues would combine to form 28 teams eventually, all existing teams would remain in their cities
- NFL teams would be paid a fee if there was another team in their city, such as the New York Jets and the New York Giants.
- The institution of a "Common Draft" between both leagues; therefore ending the bidding war for top college talent.
- The AFL and NFL were divided into what is known as the AFC and NFC. The AFC made up all the original AFL Teams as well as three NFL teams while the NFC made up the rest of the original NFL teams.
- The most influential part of this merger however, was the development and creation of the SuperBowl, which is the most watched sporting event in the U.S. every year, and it in turn, helps bring in billions of dollars to the cities that host the SuperBowl.
- Other facets of this merger that are often overlooked, is that the merger helped secure television contracts for the teams, and that brought in money for the cities, and the merger, which happened 40 years ago, is the base for the NFL that we watch today.