Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area is reporting that the San Francisco 49ers plan to stay on the East Coast between Weeks 1 and 2 of the upcoming season. The team is scheduled to open the season in Detroit against the Lions and then travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles.
"The players, coaches and some other staff members will remain on the East Coast between their first two games of the season, a source told NBC Sports Bay Area," wrote Maiocco.
Last season, the team stayed at The Greenbrier in West Virginia between Week 2 and 3 matchups against the New York Jets and New York Giants. The 49ers won both games.
San Francisco was largely expected to stay on the East Coast again to open the upcoming season. Maiocco's report confirms that will be the case.
"The 49ers decided to return to The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, to avoid the long travel after their Week 1 game at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 12," Maiocco added. "The team will practice at the resort leading up to their game at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 19.
"… The accommodations, practice fields and meeting space at the Greenbrier were up to 49ers' specifications, which are the reasons the organization choose that location over some of the other venues at which they practiced in recent years."
In May, ESPN reported that the 49ers' scheduled 28,000 round-trip miles between cities to face their opponents during the 2021 season ranked as the most among NFL teams. Staying on the East Coast for back-to-back road games will help bring that number down.