The NFL announced the date and time for Australia’s first regular-season game.
The Rams will face the 49ers on Friday, Sept. 11, at approximately 10:35 a.m. AEST at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game will air live on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET/5:35 p.m. PT.
The network that will air the game is yet to be announced.
“We are thrilled to kick off our season in Melbourne, enhancing an already historic moment for both the NFL and the Rams,” Rams Head of International Stephanie Cheng said. “Every time members of our organization visit, including earlier this month, we see first hand the growing excitement from folks across Melbourne in anticipation of this game. Not only will it be special playing the 49ers on a Friday morning in Australia, it also will be great for our fans back at home to be able to watch this matchup in primetime on Thursday night.”
Final preparations are under way for tickets to go on sale for the game. Qualifying Rams’ season-ticket members will have access to an exclusive presale beginning on Wednesday, April 1, at 2 p.m. PT.
Hospitality packages will be available to purchase from Ticketmaster starting Monday, April 6, at 5 p.m. PT, and general access tickets will go on sale to the public starting Tuesday, April 7, at 5 p.m. PT. All tickets and hospitality packages will be available to purchase directly from the Ticketmaster website.
“We are thrilled to be able to confirm the time and date for Australia’s first-ever regular-season NFL game at the MCG between the Rams and 49ers — a match-up that has created plenty of hype and excitement,” NFL Australia & New Zealand General Manager Charlotte Offord said. “We know that there is already plenty of appetite for this game, both in Australia and internationally, and we’re looking forward to getting tickets on sale in the coming weeks for what we know is going to be an incredible NFL experience for our fans down under.”
Offensive lineman Ben Bartch visited the Lions earlier this month and he’ll be spending more time in Detroit in the future.
The Lions announced that they have signed Bartch on Wednesday. The team did not share any details about the terms of the deal, which was initially reported by Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Bartch entered the league as a Jaguars fourth-round pick in 2020 and played 41 games for the team before the 49ers signed him off their practice squad in 2023. He appeared in 14 regular season games and three postseason contests during his time with San Francisco.
The Lions have also added Cade Mays, Larry Borom, and Juice Scruggs to their offensive line this offseason. They help balance out the departures of starters Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow since the end of the 2025 season.
The 49ers and left tackle Trent Williams have not been able to solve their contract impasse, but head coach Kyle Shanahan remains confident that Williams will be on the team’s offensive line come the fall.
Williams is set to have a cap number of nearly $47 million after the 49ers declined to exercise a $10 million roster bonus late last week. Revising his contract would lower that cap hit and would likely result in Williams having some guaranteed money added to a deal that currently doesn’t have any of it, but conversations with General Manager John Lynch have not generated any results at this point.
The lack of progress doesn’t appear to be alarming to Shanahan, however.
“No updates from me,” Shanahan said, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “I actually stay pretty much out of that. I know John and everyone is working hard to do that. I believe we will get that done. We love Trent too much and eventually that will work out.”
There’s been talk about the 49ers trading or releasing Williams if they can’t sort out the contractual issues, which would leave Shanahan with a major hole to fill on the offensive line. That prospect provides plenty of motivation for the team to find common ground with the three-time All-Pro, but it remains unclear when that might happen.
Free agent offensive guard Robert Jones is signing with the 49ers, NFL Media reports.
Jones, 27, signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Cowboys last offseason but did not play a down. He broke a bone in his neck during a training camp practice in July and spent the season on injured reserve.
He visited the 49ers earlier Monday.
Jones, an undrafted free agent in 2021, spent four seasons with the Dolphins. He played 49 games, starting 30, including all 17 at left guard in 2024.
He played 1,078 snaps in 2024 and has 2,025 in his career.
The 49ers met with a possible addition to their offensive line.
The NFL’s daily transaction report for Monday shows that Robert Jones came in for a visit with the team.
Jones signed with the Dolphins after going undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State in 2021. He started 13 of the 30 games he played in his first two seasons and then started every game at left guard for Miami in 2024.
The Cowboys signed Jones last year, but he missed the entire season with a neck injury.
The 49ers saw one starting guard move on in free agency when Spencer Burford signed with the Raiders, but Dominick Puni remains under contract with the NFC West team.
