Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco has voiced strong disapproval of Shedeur Sanders' practice of wearing a helmet visor, describing the accessory as "annoying" and "for looks." The criticism, aired on Netflix's "Quarterback" show, highlights a generational difference in on-field aesthetics and practicality.
Flacco, who has been in the NFL since 2008, shared his views while mentoring rookies Sanders and Dillon Gabriel on the Cleveland Browns during the 2025 season. He expressed frustration with the trend of young players opting for visors, which he believes serve no functional purpose and can be detrimental.
"If you wear a visor, it's for looks," Flacco stated on the show. "You think you look sweet. 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.'"
He further elaborated on the perceived impracticality of the visors, noting that they can obscure vision and create fogging issues during play. "They f***** suck, dude. It's all about look," Flacco added. "When I was a kid I wanted a visor too, and then I'm like, 'The visors suck. They don't make sense.'"
Flacco did not mince words when describing how he felt quarterbacks wearing visors appeared. "I would let them wear it, but I would tell them, 'You're a quarterback, bro, you're f****** wearing a visor? You look like a f***** idiot,'" he said. "If you're a quarterback, you can tell (when) you're trying to look too sweet."
Despite Flacco's strong opinions, Sanders continued to wear a visor during minicamp ahead of the 2026 season, though it appeared to be a less mirrored finish than the previous season. The Browns are set to open their preseason schedule against the Bears on August 15, with their regular season commencing on September 13 against the Jaguars.
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