NFL might do this scheduling favor for the 49ers to help offset team's record-setting travel in 2026
The NFL might be doing a favor or two for the 49ers on the schedule this year
If anyone on the San Francisco 49ers' roster has a fear of flying, they might want to go ahead and ask for a trade, because no team will be flying more during the 2026 season than the 49ers.
Not only will the team be opening the season in Australia against the Rams, but the 49ers will also be headed to Mexico City in December. Thanks to those two international trips, the 49ers could end up traveling more than 38,100 miles in 2026, which would be the most ever for a team during a regular season in NFL history.
Although the 49ers will have a brutal travel schedule this year, there is a trade-off involved. According to general manager John Lynch, the NFL is going to help the team out by giving them a more favorable travel schedule later in the year.
"We've talked with the league and the league has assured us they'll give us the grace on the back end [of the schedule], things that we're not going to go into, but in terms of scheduling, to help ease that burden," Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area this week.
So what does that mean? As you just read, Lynch wouldn't go into specific details, but it sounds like the 49ers are going to have a favorable late season schedule and it could end up looking a lot like what they got in 2025. Last season, the 49ers got the latest bye possible (Week 14) and then they closed out the season by playing three of their final four games at home. The 49ers were one of just two teams that played three of four at home to close out the year AND also got to play at home in both Week 17 and Week 18 (The Bengals were the other team). The 49ers went 3-1 in their final four games last year and had a chance to clinch the No. 1 overall seed at home against the Seahawks in Week 18.
The 49ers would probably love to see something like that again and it wouldn't be surprising it if happens based on Lynch's comments. The 49ers game in Mexico will be played in either Week 13 or Week 14, so the NFL could send the 49ers to Mexico City in Week 13, give them a Week 14 bye and then have them play three of four games at home to close out the season. Since the Mexico game is technically a home game, that means the 49ers would only have to play one true road game over the final six weeks of the season.
Even if the NFL gives the 49ers a friendly schedule late in the season, the team is still going to be traveling a lot in 2026 and Lynch is well aware of that.
"It's part of another challenge. I think we will set a record for the amount of travel in a year -- it seems like I've heard that -- but we always travel a lot," Lynch said. "It just got a little bit more because of the distance of Australia. Part of it is exciting. We'll embrace it, make the most of it. We'll be smart about the way we approach it."
With the 49ers playing in Australia, that means they'll be traveling more than 38,100 miles in 2026, which COULD set the NFL record for most miles traveled, but it might not. On top of playing two international games, the 49ers also have two cross-country trips with games at Atlanta and at New York against the Giants. If the NFL combined those two games into one road trip, that would shave almost 4,000 miles off San Francisco's travel schedule, and in that case, they wouldn't break the all-time travel record.
The travel record is currently held by the 2025 Chargers, who traveled just over 37,000 miles last year (For 2026, the Rams are also playing in Australia, but their current travel estimate is only expected to be about 35,000 miles).
Lynch understands why the 49ers are being sent out of the country for two games, but it's still something that won't be easy to deal with.
"The league tends to put the teams [in these games] that they want to showcase," Lynch said. "Part of you should be flattered. I've never been to Australia. I don't know that I necessarily wanted to go there for a football game, but we're going and I'm excited to go."
The NFL will be playing a record-setting nine international games in 2026 and the 49ers will be making history by becoming the first team ever to play two international games in non-consecutive weeks.
