Joe Flacco’s 2026 NFL Return and the Helmet Visor Debate

The 2026 NFL season approaches and Joe Flacco, now 41, remains a significant figure. After a midseason trade in 2025, Flacco joined the Cincinnati Bengals, having started the year with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns’ quarterback lineup was noteworthy, featuring Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and two rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Flacco’s role with the Browns involved mentoring the rookies, helping them understand the complexities of being a top-tier quarterback. His presence was expected to aid in areas like reading defenses and managing NFL-level recovery.

Yet, as seen in Netflix’s “Quarterback” series, Flacco’s lesson extended to helmet visor usage. In the show, Flacco criticized Sanders for wearing a visor during practice. While Sanders and Gabriel defended the practicality of visors as “eye shields,” Flacco argued they were more about appearance, saying, “You think you look sweet. They fog up. They all want visors. They f***** suck, dude,” and expressed his aversion to them. He shared, “When I was a kid, I wanted a visor too, and then I’m like, ‘The visors suck. They don’t make sense.'”

Despite Flacco’s disapproval, Sanders continued wearing a visor, albeit a clearer one than before. The Browns, with Sanders, are set to face the Bears in their preseason opener on August 15 and will kick off their regular season against the Jaguars on September 13.

For Flacco and the Bengals, their preseason opener is against the Lions, followed by a home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by Baker Mayfield, also on September 13. Flacco’s stance on visors remains firm, as he won’t be sporting one during these games.