It's funny how the smallest of things can often spark a debate.
In Episode 2 ofNetflix's third season of Quarterback, veteranJoe Flaccoplayfully teased then-rookieShedeur Sandersover his helmet choice during the 2025 offseason. The veteran, who had been in the league 16 years before Sanders went pro, exercised his seniority card over the latter's gear choices.
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"If you wear a visor, you think it's for look. You think you look sweet. Like, it's that era," Flacco said. "I don't want my kids to wear visors either. They all want visors.
"I'm like, 'Guys, they're not even like, they're just annoying. They're going to fog up."
After this, when Shedeur Sanders asked him if he would let his kids wear one.
"I would let them wear it, but I would tell them, 'You're a quarterback, bro, you're (expletive) wearing a visor? You look like a (expletive) idiot," Flacco added. "If you're a quarterback, you can tell (when) you're trying to look too sweet."
CINCINNATI, OH – DECEMBER 28: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco 16 before the game against the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 28, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA DEC 28 Cardinals at Bengals EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon251228099
There are plenty in the league who have worn visors. QuarterbacksPatrick Mahomes,Dak Prescott,Lamar Jackson, andBaker Mayfieldhave all worn the gear in their careers. Mahomes and Jackson also partnered with Oakley, wearing the brand's visors. The NFL allows all players to wear clear visors.
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Tinted visors require NFL approval on medical grounds, and dark visors are banned entirely.
Funnily enough, some from the league do agree that visors are also a fashion statement.
"Look good, feel good, play good," safetyKenny Vaccarotold SB Nation in 2019. "I just played years of football with it. … It looks meaner, cleaner. To me, it's like I'm naked if I don't have a visor on."
It is also worth noting that the defense relies on reading the offense's eyes to make their moves. The American Academy of Ophthalmology said that visors also help prevent players from getting eye injuries and help them in sunny games. In a study, they found that 41% of defensive players and 21% offensive players wore visors during the 2019-2020 season.
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Flacco went on to play four games for theCleveland Brownsin 2025, and according to USA Today, he did not wear a visor in any of them. The quarterback was then traded to theCincinnati Bengalsand is hoping to bounce back after a troubling campaign last year.
