The Atlanta Falcons are an American professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are currently a member of the NFC South division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League. The AFL instead granted a franchise to Miami. In their 43 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 275