Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh walks off of the field after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Saleh Speaks Out: What He Said After the Liam Coen Incident

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 2:59 PM ET

The Liam Coen-Robert Saleh beef has come and gone, and the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator officially put a bow on it this week.

After Coen took clear offense to Saleh's comments on the Jaguars' "legal sign-stealing" following the Jaguars' 26-21 win over the 49ers in Week 4, Saleh reflected on where he went wrong in his part that led to their fiery post-game exchange.

Saleh Speaks Out

"It is all good. Whatever happened on Sunday doesn't change how I feel. In my heart, I genuinely was trying to give a compliment and I own the fact that I probably used the wrong choice of words, but however you want to word it, I mean, they're really, really good at putting their players in position to be successful," Saleh said to 49ers media this week.

"As coaches, we're always chasing leverage. They're trying to have winning leverage. We're trying to take leverage away and everyone in the league is trying to find every avenue they can. As a coach watching their tape, I recognize the amount of hours that must be spent to be able to build formations and define every little indicator they can to give their players a chance to be in a successful position. That's exhausting and every team does it. Some do it better than others and it was my way of acknowledging that these guys are really, really, really good at it.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

And like I said, Sunday doesn't change that. I think Liam's doing a hell of a job. I really do. You can tell that that team's really taking on his personality and I hope they came out of the game healthy and I wish him the best of luck throughout the rest of the season. I wish I could have found a better choice of words, but my intent was always to compliment that football staff."

Coen did not speak about the post-game interaction on Sunday, though he did take questions on their exchange during his Monday press conference.

"It's one of those things that ultimately, you're always looking for an edge. You're always looking for an edge as a player, as a coach, you always go back and look at Michael Jordan making up things of what players, people say about him to get him juiced up for a game and it's just part of the competitiveness within our profession and way this thing goes and I thought everybody kind of worked off that a little bit," Coen said.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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