San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, right, embraces Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay after their NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. The Rams defeated the 49ers 42-26.
Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle
The NFL didn’t just receive feedback from not-happy head coach Kyle Shanahan about the San Francisco 49ers’ taxing travel schedule this season. They also heard from general manager John Lynch and CEO Al Guido.
The conversations centered around the 49ers having to log an NFL-record 38,105 miles due to a 2026 schedule that will send them to Melbourne, Australia, Mexico City and across 58 time zones. And the talks no doubt included a question: How could the league ensure the 49ers didn’t become wiped out by jet lag before Halloween?
On Friday, a day after the league released its full schedule, vice president of broadcast planning Mike North provided insight into how the NFL’s schedule-making team accounted for the 49ers’ travel challenges on a conference call to discuss the 272-game slate.
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If Shanahan didn’t speak directly to an executive at the NFL office in New York City, it became clear his sarcastic response to their two international games had found its way to 354 Park Ave. As Shanahan said, dryly, in April: “We’re fired up about that.”
“It’s a lot of air miles,” North said. “We fully recognize that. Coach (Shanahan) wasn’t shy about his concerns. We spoke with John Lynch. We spoke with Al Guido. We were well aware of where they were hoping to land. Did they get everything they wanted? Probably not. But were we comfortable with where we landed? We were.”
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North indicated the 49ers did have at least one request granted: Despite their marquee-team status, they aren’t among the 12 teams that will play the day before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving itself, Black Friday, Christmas Eve or Christmas. The 49ers played prime-time games on Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2023.
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“They were sensitive to things like the holidays,” North said. “Playing on Thanksgiving. Playing on Christmas. They’ve done their duty the last couple years.”
Interestingly, North focused on how the NFL designed the schedule for the 49ers and Rams, NFC West rivals, in the weeks after they meet in Melbourne on Sept. 10. He said both teams were guaranteed Week 2 home games. He noted the Rams will get an extra day of rest because they’ll host the Giants on “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 21. The 49ers will host the Dolphins the previous day.
“I’m sure the Niners aren’t thrilled when they see the Rams playing on Monday night,” North said. “Why did they get the extra day coming back from Australia? Part of that is a shared (SoFi Stadium) consideration between the Rams and Chargers. They are both home in Week 2.”
Saying “far be it from to say what’s best for the football team,” North noted the 49ers appear to have a more favorable post-Australia setup than the Rams after Week 2. The 49ers’ game against Miami in Week 2 will be the first of three straight home games. Meanwhile, the Rams will visit the Broncos in Week 3 and travel to Philadelphia in Week 4.
North compared their early season schedules after Shanahan complained last month about facing the Rams in Australia. He said the Rams requested to play the 49ers in the game and he found that “bothersome.” A reason he was annoyed: The Rams avoided playing the 49ers at SoFi, where 49ers fans stuff the stands and Rams QB Matthew Stafford often has to use a silent count due to the din.
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“I get their ambitions,” Shanahan said. “But they were rewarded (for) that.”
On Friday, North discussed the 49ers’ two-month stretch after returning from Australia. They’ll play five of seven games at home and will have a sought-after midseason bye (Week 8). Their lone road games are at Seattle and Atlanta, meaning they’ll leave the West Coast just once between Weeks 2-9.
“So they get a month in the building (after Week 1) — a month in the facility to recover,” North said. “I think there’s a short road trip somewhere (Seattle). Another home game. Yes, a long road trip to the east (Atlanta). But then the bye. So they’re going to get a chance to catch their breath and get healthy.”
The 49ers’ Week 11 “home” game against the Vikings in Mexico City, which will be played at 7,200 feet above sea level, will necessitate another extended road trip. They’ll be away from the Bay Area for nine full days because they’ll practice at altitude at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., between games at Dallas (Week 10) and Mexico City.
North said the 49ers had an even home-road split after their bye, acknowledging that came with an asterisk.
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“I think every team in the league would take five home (games) and five road down the stretch,” North said. “Fully acknowledging one of their home games is in Mexico. But that’s no different than any of the other NFC teams who have designated international games this year. So, yes, (we were) sensitive to their travel (and) managing it before and after Mexico.”
The 49ers’ last 10 games will end with a challenging stretch. They’ll play three of their last four games on the road – at the Chargers, Chiefs and Cardinals – with a Week 17 home game against the Eagles.
“I’m sure, yes, wave a magic wand and (the 49ers) would move a game or two on their schedule,” North said. “But I assume the same is true for the other 31 teams as well. We were sensitive. We were cognizant. And I think we landed in a fair place.”