On September 25, things got interesting when Robert Saleh brought up Jacksonville’s signal work. “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.” But when the Jaguars’ head man, Liam Coen, was asked about it, he brushed it off and stayed quiet. But now, another 49ers’ coach opens up on Coen.

When reporters asked Kyle Shanahan if there’s a clear pattern to why Jacksonville keeps picking off passes, he broke it down pretty directly. “Yeah, I think they get pressure on the quarterback, which makes quarterbacks not always quite as sure when they let the ball go, and they’ve got some DBs who catch the ball. I think they’ve naturally got some good hands. When they’ve got their ops, they’ve came through with it and made guys pay.” Yes, the Jaguars’ offense has its own problems, and they’re hard to ignore.

Jacksonville leads the league in dropped passes with 14, and that’s five more than the Jets. Thomas tops the list with four drops on just 25 targets. Dyami Brown hasn’t helped either, with three drops on 14 targets. Then you’ve got Travis Hunter, Parker Washington, and Travis Etienne all adding two apiece. Even Hunter Long has one drop on four targets. That’s six different players hurting the passing game. And here’s the kicker—maybe it’s not all on the receivers.

Trevor Lawrence hasn’t exactly been sharp himself. His 55.8 completion percentage ranks second-worst among 31 qualified quarterbacks, just above Cam Ward’s 54.5 percent. Add to that the fact he’s attempted 113 passes, fifth-most in the league, and it’s clear the volume hasn’t translated into efficiency.

The mix of drops and shaky accuracy has dragged this offense down. Lawrence has already been credited with 14 off-target throws, giving him a 13 percent bad-throw rate. That’s not the worst, but when paired with all those drops, the result is ugly. However, Shanahan’s talk about Coen doesn’t end here.

Kyle Shanahan talks about Saleh’s comments

When the media circled back to Kyle Shanahan and asked him about Robert Saleh’s sign-stealing comments. Shanahan didn’t dodge it. Instead, he backed his former defensive coordinator. “It’s very common,” Shanahan said. “I think he was trying to give them a compliment…they’re good at what they do.” For him, it wasn’t about stirring controversy—it was about clarifying Saleh’s intent.

But then Shanahan’s tone shifted, and that’s when things got interesting. He added, “We don’t need to do that; we truly believe in being fair in every aspect.” That was a subtle shot, one that hinted he sees his own staff as operating on a higher standard. It sounded less like praise and more like a line in the sand.

So clearly, the idea of sign stealing doesn’t sit right with him. He practically admitted he doesn’t see it as a trait of a great coach. If he did, he’d used it himself. And by saying he won’t, Shanahan basically framed it as a shortcut. Something the 49ers don’t need to rely on.

Or maybe there’s another layer. Maybe Shanahan does dabble in it, but won’t admit it out loud. That would be its own kind of shady. 49er Faithful, what do you think? Is this Shanahan drawing a hard line, or is he just protecting the shield?