Roger Goodell dismisses 49ers coach's concerns about playing in Australia, says it's part of long-term plan

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell dismissed concerns that San Francisco 49ers caput manager Kyle Shanahan had astir playing successful Australia successful Week 1.

The 49ers are playing their archetypal crippled of the 2026 play successful Melbourne, Australia, against the Los Angeles Rams, and Shanahan told reporters during the league’s owners meetings past period helium did not spot immoderate payment to it. 

Shanahan jokingly said it was his extremity to play a crippled 19 to 20 hours distant to commencement the season.

Goodell said helium volition nonstop Shanahan an app that volition assistance with pitchy lag.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell aft the Super Bowl betwixt the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots astatine Levi's Stadium successful Santa Clara, Calif., Feb. 8, 2026. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

"You cognize I person an app for him, which I’m going to nonstop to him due to the fact that my woman hooked maine up with an app. And I got to archer you, I consciousness great. I person not felt immoderate pitchy lag astatine all. I thought it was a comparatively casual trip," Goodell told reporters successful Australia Friday.

Goodell called Shanahan an enthusiastic manager and mentioned that coaches' priorities solely prevarication with winning shot games. He said the NFL is focused connected making it a large acquisition for everyone.

"Coaches person a absorption connected winning, that’s their No. 1 job. And truthful Coach Shanahan is enthusiastic and a large shot manager but besides idiosyncratic who genuinely understands the value of expanding our crippled globally. But his occupation is to win, his occupation is to play, and I ever similar to accidental coaches similar to play astatine 1 and 4 and don’t get successful the mode of that," Goodell said.

JAGUARS PLAN TO CHANGE TRAVIS HUNTER'S USAGE AFTER INJURY-SHORTENED ROOKIE SEASON: REPORT

San Francisco 49ers caput manager Kyle Shanahan watches from the sideline during the 2nd fractional against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers successful Tampa, Fla., Oct. 12, 2025. (Chris O'Meara/AP)

"We’re going to marque it a large acquisition for the team. That’s 1 of the things we absorption on, everybody present and truthful galore others person focused on, and marque it a large acquisition for everyone, the squad included. When they spell back, they got to marque definite they are capable to proceed the competitiveness due to the fact that this crippled is real, this counts, and they’ll spell connected to Week 2 arsenic soon arsenic they permission here."

Goodell besides made it wide that the 49ers-Rams crippled successful Australia is not a one-off lawsuit but the opening of an concern into the market.

"There is nary question that we are going to beryllium playing present again. Our presumption is that we are coming present for the agelong term. We don’t travel arsenic a one-off. This isn’t a circus. This is an concern successful this market, and we judge that this is agelong word and volition beryllium large for the NFL agelong term," Goodell said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell attends the 2026 NFL Pro Bowl crippled betwixt the AFC and the NFC astatine the Moscone Center South successful San Francisco Feb. 3, 2026. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Shanahan and the different 31 caput coaches successful the NFL mightiness not emotion the thought of playing a crippled that requires a 19- to 20-hour flight, but they person small accidental successful the matter. While Shanahan mightiness not spot a "pro" to having to play overseas, helium does deliberation it’s chill to spot the NFL globally.

"I don't spot immoderate pro," Shanahan said. "It's chill for the league to play globally. I deliberation that's awesome. But arsenic acold arsenic the squad doing it, no, there's not overmuch payment to it. Sometimes it's bully to get a bye week after, but doesn't hap successful Week 1."

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.