Raheem Morris turned 50 on Thursday, Sept. 3, but the milestone barely had time to land before the 49ers disappeared into their Week 1 travel plans.
San Francisco left Wednesday night for Australia, then arrived Friday morning in Melbourne local time ahead of its season opener against the Rams. Because the trip crossed the date line, Thursday got wiped out of the team’s journey entirely.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out the oddity this way: “49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris turned 50 years old Thursday, Sept. 3,” Schefter wrote.
“It also happened to be the day the 49ers flew to Australia, leaving Wednesday night Sept. 2 and arriving Friday morning Sept. 4, local time. The 49ers lost a day, but Morris lost his 50th birthday.”
The internet, naturally, had a field day with it. One fan joked, “I guess he truly is a 49er now,” while another asked, “What are we supposed to do with this information?”
A third imagined Morris trying “to explain how old he is.” Another user added, “Some guys lie about their age.
Raheem Morris found a loophole and just skipped 50 entirely😂,”
The trip was no accident. The 49ers planned the early departure so players could get more time to adjust to the time difference before Thursday’s game.
Kyle Shanahan talked earlier this week about how unpredictable that adjustment can be. “Some guys feel good and feel great, and then you talk to them five hours later, they’re like, ‘Never mind, that left,'” Shanahan said.
Morris is new to San Francisco this season after spending two years as Atlanta’s head coach. He and Shanahan are back together for the first time since their days on Washington’s staff more than a decade ago. His job is a big one: remake a defense that has gone through five different coordinators in five years, and do it with multiple five-man front looks that are a clear departure from what the 49ers have typically run.
That difference showed up during camp, too. Fred Warner and Trent Williams both said training camp felt unlike what they’d experienced before under Morris.
He arrives in the middle of a strange stretch for the organization. Shanahan is still recovering from a serious car accident in July that left him with three broken ribs, a broken hand, a broken nose, and a concussion. On top of that, the 49ers are dealing with a brutal travel slate this season, one that drew heat when the schedule came out in May and will send San Francisco farther by air than any other NFL team in 2026.
For Morris, though, there was at least one upside to all the chaos: on paper, he’s still 49.
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49ers First Injury Report Raises An Early Lineup Concern
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For now, the encouraging part is who was not there. Christian McCaffrey was absent from the report, and Mike Evans also did not appear, which helps keep at least some of the focus on the players who are actually dealing with issues. Still, Collins new injury designation stands out as the one to monitor, because even in September, the 49ers know how quickly a depth concern can become a bigger storyline if it lingers. [Read more 🡒]