Essential49ERS
Every story · Last 24 hours · One place
Season recap, August 31 - September 6, 2026: the biggest stories of the week, curated from the original reporting. Not a complete daily record.
On August 31 the 49ers announced an initial practice squad and acquired offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson from the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round draft pick. The same day the team re-signed safety Ashtyn Davis and punter Corliss Waitman while placing cornerback Nate Hobbs and linebacker Nick Martin on injured reserve.
Kyle Shanahan announced the 2026 team captains ahead of the season opener, and the group was identical to 2025: Nick Bosa, Kyle Juszczyk, George Kittle, Deommodore Lenoir, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, Fred Warner, and Trent Williams, all voted in by their teammates. Kittle, Warner, and Williams will again wear the gold captain's patch for five-plus years of service, with Kittle entering his ninth season as a captain.
The 49ers opened the 2026 regular season on Thursday, September 10 against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia. San Francisco arrived in Melbourne early to acclimate to the time difference while the Rams planned to arrive just a day before kickoff, and Shanahan spent part of his Week 1 press conference untangling the 17-hour time gap for reporters.
The Rams entered the opener as one of the league's top contenders, with reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford throwing to Puka Nacua, who piled up 1,715 receiving yards last season, and Davante Adams, who caught 14 touchdowns in 14 games in his first year in Los Angeles. Los Angeles spent the offseason bolstering its defense by acquiring Myles Garrett from Cleveland and cornerback Trent McDuffie from Kansas City. The late-August twist was Aaron Donald ending a two-year retirement to rejoin the franchise, though coach Sean McVay said he would not play against San Francisco while ramping up.