SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After relocating their entire football business to Arizona for what they initially hoped would be just a three-week stay, the San Francisco 49ers will complete the 2020 regular season in the desert.
A team spokesperson said the decision was made to stay in the Phoenix area until the end of the NFL season after Santa Clara County announced it would extend COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on contact sports, until at least January 8.
The 49ers, who already planned to stay until the December 26 game against the Arizona Cardinals, will also host the Seattle Seahawks in Glendale, Arizona on January 3.
At the end of the season, the Niners will have played three “home” games and one road game at State Farm Stadium during the last month of the season.
The extension of protocols in Santa Clara County was something the Niners expected when they moved, so coach Kyle Shanahan told his team that he and Niners ‘operations staff would do everything they could to try and get the players’ loved ones to Arizona. get it before Christmas week.
According to 49ers general manager John Lynch, that process is already underway. Lynch told KNBR radio in San Francisco on Thursday that many of those loved ones have already arrived or will be heading south this weekend. That will allow them to be tested for COVID-19, and when the Niners return from Sunday’s road race against the Dallas Cowboys, they will be able to see their families.
“They’re all going to test when we’re gone so we can see them when we get back,” Lynch told KNBR. “That will be a big lift for the boys.”
The 49ers moved to Arizona on Dec. 2 after Santa Clara County’s initial announcement of improved guidelines on Nov. 28. They have since lost “home games” to the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team to fall back to 5-8 and as their hopes for the post season diminish.