49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh made some headlines Thursday when he discussed how the Jacksonville Jaguars — San Francisco’s Week 4 opponent — “legally” steal opposing signals during games.
After Friday’s practice, coach Kyle Shanahan discussed the prevalence of sign stealing in the NFL and clarified Saleh’s comments from the prior day.
“I think it’s very common. I think [Saleh] was trying to give them a compliment,” Shanahan told reporters. “I think when word sign stealing is used in a long compliment, that can sometimes go the wrong way, but I think it was just — they’re good at what they do.
“Everyone tries to do that to a degree. They’re good at it, and I think it’s more just letting them know that we know.”
So, it appears the 49ers didn’t mean to be accusatory towards the Jaguars; Saleh’s comments were more of an acknowledgement and even a hat tip.
However, that didn’t prevent the always-snarky Shanahan from offering a seemingly tongue-in-cheek jab when asked a follow-up question about the 49ers’ own sign-stealing prowess.
“We don’t need to do that,” Shanahan replied with a sly smirk. “We truly believe in being fair in every aspect.”
“We don’t need to do that. We truly believe in being fair in every aspect.”
Kyle Shanahan’s response to the Jaguars’ sign-stealing strategy 😅 pic.twitter.com/Zexn0q7Nf4
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) September 26, 2025
Now, how much will this sign-stealing storyline play a factor in Sunday’s game itself? That remains to be seen, but it’s clear the 49ers are keeping it in mind as they look to remain undefeated this season.
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