The 2026 NFL season approaches rapidly, bringing notable events such as Joe Flacco’s continued participation at age 41. Flacco is now part of the Cincinnati Bengals after a midseason trade in 2025. Before this, he spent time at the Cleveland Browns, where he contributed to a remarkable quarterback lineup.
The Browns’ quarterback room included Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and two rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Flacco’s role involved guiding and developing these rookies, preparing them to handle NFL challenges at the quarterback level.
Interestingly, discussions arose around the perceived efficacy of helmet visors, a topic Flacco addressed in Netflix’s “Quarterback.” Flacco advised Sanders and Gabriel against wearing helmet visors during practice. Initially, the young quarterbacks defended their decision, highlighting the visor’s purpose as an eye shield.
“Yeah, but if you wear a visor, it’s for looks,” Flacco explained. “It’s that era. I don’t want my kids to wear visors either. They all want visors. I’m like, ‘Guys, they’re just annoying. They’re gonna fog up.'”
Flacco expressed his opinion bluntly, asserting that they served more as a style statement than a functional piece of equipment.
“If you’re a quarterback, you can tell you’re trying to look too sweet,” he insisted.
Despite Flacco’s experience since 2008, Sanders persisted, sporting a visor during preseason minicamp—this time less reflective but still present.
The Browns’ preseason begins on August 15 against the Bears, with their regular season starting against the Jaguars on September 13. Flacco and the Bengals face the Lions as their preseason opener and will host Baker Mayfield’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the same day as the Browns’ regular season start.
Regardless of the venue, one thing is likely: Flacco will not don a visor.