Maiocco: The 49ers are unlikely to play overseas in 2023

The plan for the NFL was to release the schedule for the upcoming season on Thursday. Well, that’s in jeopardy now, according to Peter King of NBC Sports. King said that the league is still in the process of choosing the matchups for the prominent games, such as the opening Thursday night, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Because of this, there might be a delay in the schedule announcement. The team in charge of the schedule will meet with commissioner Roger Goodell Monday as they attempt to nail down the final details. King did say the schedule is still “likely” to be finalized by 5 p.m. PT Thursday.

Teams know their opponents by the end of December. The Super Bowl has been concluded for a couple of months now, so there’s no logical reason for this perceived hold up.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco tweeted that the 49ers are unlikely to play an overseas game. As a fan, you might be disappointed since it’s a great opportunity to see the Niners play across the pond. While that’d make for a great experience, the travel schedules are wonky, you never know how an athlete would adjust, and there’s a chance you could lose out on a home game.

Maiocco and The Athletic’s Matt Barrows pointed out how the 49ers have a taxing road schedule, which likely led to the decision to keep San Francisco in the country.

The 49ers play Jacksonville, a team everyone believes will play in London, Philadelphia, Washington, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota on the road. You could argue that sandwiching in a London game on top of the travel would put the Niners at a competitive disadvantage.