T
he San Francisco 49ers are coming off of a week to forget. Starting off 3-0 for the third time under head coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers got off to a hot start in 2025 but suffered their first loss of the season in week four when they fell 26-21 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unable to contain Jacksonville’s revamped offense, the 49ers will go back to the drawing board ahead of their week five matchup against their NFC West foes, the Los Angeles Rams, on Thursday Night Football.
But the storyline of the 49ers’ loss to the Jaguars happened after the game– when a postgame interaction between 49ers defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, and Jaguars head coach, Liam Coen, was caught on camera. And while the two can be heard chirping at each other, what Saleh said to Coen has finally been revealed.
The Incident
The incident between the two coaches was initiated earlier in the week when Saleh made a comment on the Thursday before the game about Coen and his staff stealing opponents’ signals and signs. And while Saleh alluded to it being done legally, Coen did not take kindly to those comments and expressed his feelings on the matter after the game. Coen can be heard saying ‘keep my name out of your mouth’ but what Saleh said after was revealed on Monday and helps shed some light on the full extent of the interaction– with Saleh using some colorful language.
“I will [bleep] your world up,” Saleh can be heard saying. “You don’t want to [bleep] with me. I will [bleep] end your [bleep] life.”
Saleh’s comments raised eyebrows around the NFL, with CBS Sports analyst, Jonathan Jones, expressing his disagreements with the comments. Coen also looked unhappy and annoyed about the comments during his press conference on the Friday leading up to the game.
The Game
The week four matchup saw the 49ers struggle to contain the Jaguars’ offense, and had an especially hard time with getting to the quarterback, not recording a single sack or QB hurry. With star edge rusher, Nick Bosa, done for the season with a torn ACL, it was clear that not having Bosa out there was detrimental. And while the 49ers’ offense did not do the team any favors, with quarterback Brock Purdy throwing two interceptions and fumbling on the final possession, a good offensive game plan from the Jaguars helped them win 26-21.
After the final whistle, several Jags players tried to prevent Coen from interacting with Saleh but to no avail. Saleh did not speak to the media after the game, a normal occurrence for assistant coaches, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan commented on the incident in his postgame press conference.
“I didn’t see what happened so I’m not sure,” Shanahan said. “I don’t think he [Coen] should be that sensitive about it, but that’s the way it is.”
Saleh and the 49ers have a short week ahead of their week five matchup against the Rams– which has much higher stakes. Starting the season off with two wins against NFC west teams, a third win would put the 49ers up ahead even more and put them one step closer towards their first goal this season– taking home another NFC West title.