The 2026 season has not started yet for the San Francisco 49ers, yet they have already been set with a massive disadvantage.
Courtesy of their likely Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, and their now-confirmed home game in Mexico City, the Niners will likely be traveling over 38,000 miles next season (h/t Niners Wire).
That would set an NFL record for travel miles in a season and puts head coach Kyle Shanahan's bunch at a severe rest disadvantage, even though the international games are a tremendous opportunity.
There is not much San Francisco can do; a simple trip down to Los Angeles now turned to a cross-ocean flight down under, and a home game now adds extra travel. Add in a couple trips to the East Coast and a couple more to the Midwest, and the Niners will have lots of flights back and forth.
Unless the NFL schedulers offer them a saving grace: scheduling their East Coast games back to back.
49ers can hope for back-to-back East Coast games
If the 49ers had their game at New York and at Atlanta on back-to-back weeks, they would be able to potentially skip the cross-country flights by staying at a resort somewhere in the East Coast. In years past, the Niners have stayed in Youngstown, Ohio, or the Greenbrier in West Virginia. Both locations have allowed San Francisco to rest, minimize travel, and even gain a bit of camaraderie with each other.
Alternatively, the schedulers could help the 49ers by placing a bye-week or a mini-bye (a game the week after playing on Thursday Night Football) before or after one of their East Coast treks. This would not erase the miles, but it would reduce the turnaround.
In either case, the Niners have been dealt a poor scheduling hand, but there is a chance things may turn out better than expected.
All eyes will be on when the NFL releases the exact 2026 schedule.