When head coach Kyle Shanahan commented about the San Francisco 49ers' extensive travel this season, perhaps his best conclusion was, "it is what it is, we'll deal with it."
"Dealing with it" will mean absorbing an unprecedented amount of travel in 2026, headlined by a Week 1 showdown against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
As tough as that might be for both NFC West rivals, the NFL schedule makers did the Niners dirty one more time with a second international game: Week 11's showdown against the Minnesota Vikings in Mexico City, Mexico.
As a result, San Francisco will set a new record for the most amount of miles traveled in any given season, one close to 38,000.
L.A., meanwhile, must travel roughly 35,000—nearly the equivalent of one cross-country flight across the U.S.
Despite the inequity, one NFL executive attempted his best to smooth things over, but his words certainly shouldn't sit well with the 49ers and their fans.
NFL executive doesn't ease 49ers' travel-related pains with post-schedule comments
Speaking via the league's official website the day after official schedules were released for all 32 teams, NFL VP of broadcast planning Mike North responded to the complaints about the Niners' unprecedented travel this upcoming season.
North clearly was trying to be diplomatic, but his words might ring hollow:
I'm sure wave a magic wand, they would move a game or two on their schedule. But I assume the same is true for the other 31 teams as well. We were sensitive, we were cognizant, and think we landed in a fair place, not just for the Niners and the Rams, but hopefully for everybody.
The "same is true" for the rest of the league, too?
Only two squads, San Francisco and the Jacksonville Jaguars, play two international games this season. And the Jaguars' miles traveled in 2026 rank ninth at just over 23,000.
These two are not the same.
Meanwhile, both the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns have to travel less than 10,000 miles this season, which also means they're not the same. And while West Coast teams typically bear the brunt of tougher travel, given the geography and their locations, another NFC West rival, the Arizona Cardinals, are 23rd in mileage traveled at almost 16,000.
That's not the same either.
So, no. Not all the teams "landed in a fair place," and those words probably shouldn't sit well with Shanahan, the 49ers and their fans.
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