Roger Goodell laughed off Kyle Shanahan's complaints about the Australia trip and offered to send him a jet lag app after insisting the nearly 16-hour flight was "a relatively easy trip"
18:28 ET, 10 Apr 2026Updated 18:30 ET, 10 Apr 2026
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell clapped back at the 49ers head coach
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell clapped back at the 49ers head coach(Image: Getty)
Kyle Shanahan made his feelings about playing in Australia perfectly clear at the league's annual meetings in Phoenix last month. He saw no benefit to the trip, no upside to the travel, and no reason to sugarcoat any of it.
On Friday, Roger Goodell flew to Melbourne, spent a few days adjusting to the time difference, and responded with a smile and an app recommendation.
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The NFL Commissioner held a press conference at Melbourne Cricket Ground, the iconic venue that will host the first-ever NFL regular-season game on Australian soil when the San Francisco 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10. It comes as the staggering cost to view all NFL games next season was revealed, with 10 subscriptions needed.
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When reporters asked Goodell about Shanahan's very public reservations, he did not exactly rush to his defense.
"I said it yesterday: Coaches have a focus on winning," Goodell said, beginning with a laugh. "That's their No. 1 job. Coach Shanahan is enthusiastic and a great football coach but also someone who truly understands the importance of expanding our game globally. But his job is to win. His job is to play. I always say coaches like to play at 1 o'clock and 4 o'clock, and don't get in the way of that."
He added that the league's priority is to make the experience work for everyone involved.
"We're going to make it a great experience for the team. This game is real. This counts. And they'll go on to Week 2 as soon as they leave."
The NFL, led by commissioner Roger Goodell, is rapidly expanding its global reach
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The NFL, led by commissioner Roger Goodell, is rapidly expanding its global reach(Image: Getty)
Asked whether he had any advice for Shanahan about managing jet lag on the journey, Goodell revealed his secret weapon.
"I have an app for him, which I'm going to send to him," Goodell said. "My wife hooked me up with an app, and I got to tell you, I feel great. I have not felt any jet lag at all. We've been here since Tuesday morning and I thought it was a relatively easy trip."
Shanahan's position is unlikely to be shifted by an app recommendation. At the league meetings, the 49ers head coach was blunt about the arrangement, suggesting the only reason his team was selected for the game was because the Rams had lobbied for the matchup.
The 49ers will play the Rams in the first-ever NFL regular-season game in Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground
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The 49ers will play the Rams in the first-ever NFL regular-season game in Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground(Image: Getty)
"I don't see any pro," Shanahan said. "It's cool for the league to play globally. I think that's awesome. But as far as the team doing it, no, there's not much benefit to it. Sometimes it's nice to get a bye week after but doesn't happen in Week 1."
The 49ers will not have a bye following the Australia game, meaning they face the prospect of a 19-to-20-hour return flight before preparing for Week 2.
Several San Francisco players, including Christian McCaffrey, have also expressed reservations about the journey, with the 17-hour time difference between Melbourne and the West Coast adding an additional layer of difficulty to an already challenging assignment.
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General manager John Lynch has taken a more pragmatic view, acknowledging that advocacy has its limits. "These are the cards you're dealt," Lynch said. "Let's make it the best we possibly can."
For the league, the appetite for the game in Australia has exceeded all expectations. Tickets went on sale and sold out within minutes. Melbourne Cricket Ground holds more than 100,000 spectators, and the NFL is expecting a full house. "Every ticket that we put out for public sale was gone in a matter of minutes," Goodell said. "I think that's a demonstration of the demand for this event."
He also made clear that this is not a one-time experiment. "There's no question that we're going to be playing here again," he said. "Our view is that we're coming here for the long term. We don't come as a one-off. This isn't a circus."