The San Francisco 49ers already had enough factors working against them heading into the 2026 season. They're one of the most injury-prone teams in football, they're dealing with an ongoing dispute with Brandon Aiyuk, and they've received plenty of backlash for their choices in the NFL Draft.
Add another problem to the list.
Kyle Shanahan's squad is set to travel more than any other team in the NFL this season. In fact, it's not particularly close.
Per Bill Speros of Bookies.com, the Niners will log 38,105 miles this season, over 3,000 more than any other team.
Could the extra travel be enough to keep San Francisco from reaching its goal in 2026?
49ers set to travel more than any other NFL team in 2026
San Francisco already had a heavy slate of travel when the NFL announced the 49ers would be playing against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia as part of the league's international schedule. In addition to the trip overseas, the Niners will have road games against teams like the New York Giants, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Dallas Cowboys.
It's easy to see how the mileage piles up so quickly. Tack on a "home" game against the Minnesota Vikings in Mexico City, Mexico, and it all comes together in a not-so-great way:
BREAKING: The 32 NFL teams travel 628,873 miles this season. That equals 25.2 trips around the circumference of the Earth, or 2.63 times the distance to the Moon.
— Bill Speros (@billsperos) May 13, 2026
Six teams will travel more than the distance around the earth the equator - 24,901 miles.
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Shanahan certainly has reason to complain about his team's brutal set of road games. The 49ers will travel more than four times the distance that the Carolina Panthers (ranked 32nd in mileage) will.
That kind of disadvantage can't be overlooked.
Luckily, most of San Francisco's NFC West opponents are near the top of the mileage list. The Rams and the Seattle Seahawks are both within the top 10. Hopefully, if the 49ers are dragged down by their schedule, the rest of the division will be right there with them.
But this Niners team can't afford to face this kind of disadvantage. They're already incredibly prone to injuries. Just last season, multiple stars on both sides of the ball missed significant time. That kind of injury luck repeating itself in 2026, combined with the fatigue that comes from significant travel, could set the Niners back. If any of these long road trips come in back-to-back weeks, San Francisco will be at a major disadvantage compared to their opponents.
There's no room for error this season. The 49ers are nearing the end of their championship window and face the toughest division in football.
Excessive travel might just be what pushes them over the edge.
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