San Francisco 49ers fans celebrate after a touchdown by San Francisco 49ers' Elijah Mitchell (25) against the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter of their NFC Championship NFL game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
LAS VEGAS – Safely landing an hour after Sunday’s sunset, the 49ers arrived like most visitors, seeking riches and a devilishly good time.
Super Bowl LVIII is a week away, however, so there is still a load of work — and plenty of distractions — to endure before kickoff at Allegiant Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs.
That’s when the Lombardi Trophy will be at stake.
Speaking of the latter, only 15 minutes up Interstate 15, at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, there exists a stark realization of how fleeting success can be, and how Super Bowl mementos can be both cherished or discarded.
Multiple Super Bowl rings are for sale there. However, ones from the 1981 49ers ($65,000) and the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs ($72,500) are not in-house but rather available through consignment and online bidding via the pawn shop, which is featured on the reality television show “Pawn Stars.” Replica rings of past 49ers’ triumphs are on display with framed images of Joe Montana and Steve Young — separate from each other, that is.
Only three current 49ers players have Super Bowl rings, which they won on other teams: cornerback Charvarius Ward (2019 Chiefs), defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (2020 Rams) and defensive back Logan Ryan (2014, ’16 Patriots).
Ward also played for the 2020 Chiefs when they lost in the Super Bowl (to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), so he knows as well as anyone what to expect with this week’s festivities.
“This Super Bowl is in Vegas, so I might turn up a little bit, the first day or two. After that, it’s really time to lock in and focus,” Ward said. “The whole week is really like a movie. You’re going to see celebrities everywhere. In pregame, you might see Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kevin Hart, people like that.
“It’s still a game at the end of the day,” Ward added. “You still have to go out and try to get the win, especially in the Super Bowl. You don’t want to (mess) up the Super Bowl, so you have to be locked in all week.”
As the 49ers’ caravan headed to San Jose Mineta International Airport Sunday afternoon, hundreds of fans withstood heavy rain outside the team’s facility to cheer them onward to Las Vegas.
Two hours later, their charter flight landed. On Thursday, two more charters will transport staff and family members to Las Vegas.
We love you Faithful!
pic.twitter.com/obLfAykn69
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) February 5, 2024
The 49ers will have an eight-night residency about 30 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, as they’ll be sequestered at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa; the Chiefs are staying a mile away at the Westin.
Both hotels are officially in Henderson. In August, the 49ers stayed about 30 minutes away at a different hotel for their joint practices with the Raiders before their preseason opener.
Four years ago, the 49ers stayed in downtown Miami before they lost 31-20 to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. The 2012 49ers bunkered at a French Quarter hotel in New Orleans before falling to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31.
Still on the 49ers’ roster from that 2019 team’s Super Bowl heartbreak are tight end George Kittle; wide receiver Deebo Samuel; fullback Kyle Juszczyk; linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw; punter Mitch Wishnowsky; and defensive linemen Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa and Kevin Givens. Tight end Ross Dwelley is on Injured Reserve.
Kittle’s message to the Super Bowl novices on his team: Stick to your routine, whether it be waking up at a certain time or watching TV on a couch after practice.
Said Kittle: “Why change it up? You don’t need to get dinner with your agent. You’ll see him next week. You don’t need to do anything extra. Just do what you’ve been doing, and celebrate when you’re done.”
Friends and family won’t be staying with the team and most figure to stay near The Strip, so arrangements to meet up could prove tricky, especially at the secure confines in Lake Las Vegas. The 49ers invited all staff to accompany them, with a pair of complimentary tickets for each and a chance to buy others at the $2,400 face value; no paper tickets, this year, by the way.
“Yeah, Vegas, the Strip, all the lights, it is what it is,” Kittle said. “But what would be really cool is winning the Super Bowl. Anything else before that, who cares, really?”
If they fail to win it then their consolation prize will be an NFC Championship ring, just like it was for the last two 49ers teams to make it this far.
“I don’t know where that ring is,” linebacker Fred Warner said of his 2019 team’s memento. “I remember we got one, thinking, ‘Oh, this is cute.’ “
Originally published at Cam Inman