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49ers coach Kyle Shanahan next to United States passports on world map
The San Francisco 49ers are about to take the longest road trip in NFL history, and apparently one of the first roster questions is no longer just, “Can this guy play?” It is also, “Does this guy have a passport?”
San Francisco will open its season against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sept. 10 in the NFL’s first regular season game in Australia.
The unusual timing has collided directly with final roster cuts and practice-squad construction, forcing the 49ers to make sure players who might normally join the organization on a day’s notice can legally get into another country.
The 49ers Are Doing Passport Checks On Practice-Squad Players
John Lynch explained during the team’s press conference that San Francisco has had to ask outside practice-squad candidates whether they have passports ready to go, something the longtime executive said he had never needed to ask before.
One incoming player apparently had his at home, and Lynch said the player’s parents had to overnight the passport to California because the 49ers are scheduled to leave for Australia on Wednesday, more than a week before kickoff.
That is an objectively hilarious addition to the normal practice-squad onboarding process. Physical? Check. Playbook? Check. Emergency parental FedEx operation? Also check.
The 49ers have spent months preparing for the Australia trip, consulting rugby clubs, sleep specialists, and other experts while putting together plans for travel, nutrition, and player recovery.
Practice squad turnover, unfortunately, happens at the end of August. New arrivals did not necessarily spend their summers preparing visas and locating passports just in case the 49ers called.
That creates a logistical headache all the way down the depth chart. Practice squad players can be elevated for games, provide scout-team work, and serve as immediate injury replacements, so leaving someone in California because his passport is sitting in his parents’ house is not exactly ideal.
This Is Not A Normal NFL Road Trip
Melbourne is nearly 8,000 miles from the Bay Area, with a flight that can stretch around 16 hours.
San Francisco is leaving unusually early so players can acclimate to the massive time difference. Kyle Shanahan plans to treat Saturday in Australia like the Monday of a normal game week, giving the team several days to convince everyone’s body that breakfast is actually breakfast.
Lynch described the preparation as a monumental task and credited staff members handling visas, travel, food, health and performance behind the scenes.
They are essentially moving an entire NFL operation to the other side of the planet immediately after the busiest roster weekend of the year.
The 49ers also lead the NFL in projected air miles this season and have another international trip to Mexico City waiting in November.
For established starters, Australia means a very long flight and a bizarre Week 1 routine. For somebody joining the practice squad at the last possible minute, it apparently means calling mom and dad and asking them to find their passport immediately.