On Thursday September 25, 2025, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh turned some heads when he talked about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ legal sign stealing scheme.

“Liam [Coen] and his staff, coming from Minnesota, they’ve got, legally, a really advanced signal-stealing type system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation,” Saleh said in his Thursday Media availability.

Saleh was seemingly just trying to compliment Head Coach Liam Coen and the Jaguars, but his comments still made the ears of some football people perk up, especially amongst the sign-stealing scandal that has rocked the University of Michigan football program.

Some analysts familiar with the NFL’s sign-stealing ecosystem also believe that Saleh brought this up deliberately to get in the heads of the Jaguars before Sunday’s game.

By letting Jacksonville know he’s aware of their sign stealing scheme, he’s also essentially letting them know that he will be taking the necessary precautions to avoid getting his signs stolen.

One of the best ways to defeat a sign-stealing scheme is to cast doubt in the thieves that they are correct about which sign means what. If they know Saleh is making every signal with the awareness that they are stealing signs, they may feel unsure whether they actually know what his signals mean.

Coen Responds To Saleh 

Coen’s response to Saleh was also very puzzling for football fans. When media members asked him about Saleh’s comments, he avoided the question.

“Yeah I’m not going to speak on that fully right now,” Coen said. “Have a huge game for us coming up this weekend, got a great defense that we’ve got to go and attack and that’s where our whole mindset and mentality is right now.”

Based on Coen’s dismissive reaction, some people believe that there is deeper beef between these two coaches. They were both finalists for the Jacksonville Head Coaching job, and the Jags obviously ultimately hired Coen while Saleh ended up back with the 49ers as defensive coordinator.

The media knows Coen as a very open person, which is why his guarded reaction is catching people by surprise.

Kyle Shanahan With A Subtle Dig 

Finally, the media asked 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan about Saleh’s comments during Shanahan’s media availability on Friday September 26, 2025.

First, Shanahan defended Saleh, reiterating that he believes Saleh brought it up to pay a complement to the Jags.

“It’s very common,” Shanahan said. “I think he was trying to give them a complement…they’re good at what they do.”

But then, Shanahan made a comment that seemed to insinuate that sign stealing was beneath him and the 49ers’ staff.

“We don’t need to do that, we truly believe in being fair in every aspect,” Shanahan said.

So seemingly, something about sign stealing rubs Shanahan the wrong way. He basically admitted that he thinks it’s unfair. Or, that he doesn’t think that it’s a sign of a great coach. Otherwise , he would employ that strategy himself.

That, or Shanahan does steal signs and just doesn’t want to admit it. Which is still suspicious in its own way.