SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers have a new home, at least for their next two games.
As had been expected since Santa Clara County announced on Saturday new COVID-19-related restrictions that prevent contact sports in the county for at least the next three weeks, the Niners announced Monday morning that they will hold their next two games at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
That, of course, is the home of the Cardinals, who have no day-of-game scheduling conflicts with the Niners moving forward.
"The Cardinals organization, State Farm Stadium and League officials have been supportive and accommodating as we work through the many logistical issues involved in relocating NFL games," the 49ers said in a statement.
Monday's announcement means the Niners will "host" the Buffalo Bills for Monday Night Football on Dec. 7 and the Washington Football Team on Dec. 13 in Arizona. The Niners' other game in that three-week time frame is set for Dec. 20 in Dallas against the Cowboys.
"As far as San Fran goes, that's obviously a challenging situation for them. I'm glad it worked out that we could host them in a way and allow them to use these facilities, and continue to keep their season going. It's kind of 2020 in a nutshell, and I'm just glad it all worked out for them," Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday.
A league source told ESPN after Santa Clara County's announcement on Saturday that the NFL and the 49ers had been working through contingencies since before the season began.
At the time, it was unclear whether the county would approve the Niners to even begin training camp at Levi's Stadium and the team facilities. Arizona was considered the top option then for the Niners if they had to relocate games because of relative proximity and the lack of schedule conflicts with the Cardinals.
Over the past few days, the league and the Niners also considered temporary homes in Dallas -- the Cowboys also have no schedule conflicts with the 49ers -- and San Diego. San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer's office reached out to the Niners soon after the announcement to see if his city could be a landing spot, according to Niners CEO Jed York.
I also want to thank @SDMayorsOffice for immediately reaching out to see if San Diego could help @49ers during our search for a home. While we wish we could keep our players at / close to home with their families during the holidays, that is currently not viable. #OneDayAtATime
— Jed York (@JedYork) November 30, 2020
After sorting through various options and attempting to find ways to stay and practice in the Bay Area and only travel to Arizona for games, the Niners decided that they will instead conduct practices and games in Arizona for the next few weeks, a league source told ESPN Monday night.
The Niners will be departing the Bay Area on Wednesday to travel to Arizona and begin preparations for next Monday's game against the Bills.
The Niners will stay in Arizona through at least the week leading up to the Dec. 20 game against the Cowboys. Santa Clara County's ban on contact sports is scheduled to expire on Dec. 21 at 5 a.m. PT unless it is extended beyond that time, which is a contingency the Niners are already factoring into their planning.
ESPN's Josh Weinfuss contributed to this report.