Roger Goodell not worried about Kyle Shanahan's Australia game concerns

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan recently expressed he "doesn't see any pro" to his team playing in the NFL's first-ever Australia game to open the league's 2026 season.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn't too concerned about Shanahan's comments, though he understands where the veteran coach is coming from.

"Coaches have a focus on winning. That's their No. 1 job," Goodell said during a media availability at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. "Coach Shanahan is an 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," Goodell added. "I always say coaches like to play at 1 o'clock and 4 o'clock, and - don't get in the way of that."

Shanahan's comments about his team's participation in the league's inaugural Australia game came at the league's annual meeting at the end of March.

"It's cool for the league to play globally. I think that's awesome," Shanahan said, per ESPN. "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 have to travel more than 7,850 miles to play against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne. They will then return to San Francisco and prepare for their Week 2 game.

It hasn't yet been announced who or where the 49ers will play in Week 2. Either way, Goodell acknowledged that unprecedented turnaround will require a lot of toughness from the 49ers.

"When they go back, they gotta make sure they can continue the competitiveness, because this game is real. This counts," Goodell said. "And they'll go on to Week 2 as they leave."

But Goodell is confident the 49ers and Rams will find ways to cope with the difficult travel schedule. He even referenced his plans to tell Shanahan about an app Goodell's wife recommended to help him deal with travel-related fatigue.

"I have not felt any jet lag at all," Goodell said. "We've been here since Tuesday morning. I thought it was a relatively easy trip."

And so, Goodell believes things will come together nicely once the 49ers head over to Melbourne.

"We're gonna make it a great experience for the team," Goodell said. "That's one of the things we focus on."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Australia game: Roger Goodell responds to Kyle Shanahan's concerns