Jahmyr Gibbs already gave the NFL plenty to look at in Week 1. Now the Detroit Lions star wants the league to let him change the view.
Gibbs posted an image to his Instagram Story showing himself in a Lions helmet with a heavily tinted, reflective visor. He tagged the NFL directly and made a simple request: “can I wear this visor in game pls.”
There is one problem. NFL rules make dark visors considerably more complicated than choosing a new pair of cleats.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ Visor Request Runs Into NFL Rule
Under the NFL’s official 2026 rulebook, clear plastic eye shields are optional. Tinted shields are different.
“Tinted eye shields may be worn only after the League office is supplied with appropriate medical documentation and approval is subsequently granted,” the rule states. The NFL retains final approval.
That makes Gibbs’ tag of the league more than a throwaway caption.
The visor pictured in his post appears reflective and substantially darker than a standard clear shield. The photo alone does not establish whether that specific model would qualify under NFL rules or whether Gibbs has sought an exemption.
For now, he’s asking.
And the request arrived at a pretty good time for the Lions’ star to test his leverage.
Jahmyr Gibbs Stats Show Massive Jump From Last Year’s Opener
Gibbs opened the 2026 season with one of the biggest workloads of his career in Detroit’s 31-30 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints.
He carried 29 times for a career-high 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns while adding five catches for 30 yards. That gave Gibbs 186 yards from scrimmage on 34 touches.
He also lost a fumble in the second quarter.
In standard fantasy scoring — one point per 10 rushing or receiving yards, six per touchdown and minus-two for a lost fumble — that comes to 28.6 fantasy points.
The contrast with last September is stark.
Gibbs began the 2025 season against the Green Bay Packers with only nine carries for 19 yards. He was much busier as a receiver, catching all 10 of his targets for 31 yards, but finished without a touchdown. That’s 50 scrimmage yards and 5.0 points in standard scoring.
One year later: 136 more scrimmage yards, two more touchdowns and 20 additional rushing attempts.
This looks a lot more like the offense running through Gibbs than simply featuring him.
Lions Already Made Jahmyr Gibbs Their $67.5 Million Centerpiece
Detroit made that commitment financially before the season started.
The Lions signed Gibbs to a three-year extension in August that keeps him under contract through 2030. NFL Network reported the extension is worth $67.5 million, can reach $75.75 million and includes $51.5 million guaranteed. Its $22.5 million annual value made Gibbs the NFL’s highest-paid running back at the time of the deal.
The workload followed quickly.
Gibbs had never logged 29 rushing attempts in an NFL game before Sunday. Detroit gave him 34 total touches anyway, and he produced 186 yards with them.
There will not be much recovery time. The Lions travel to Buffalo for a Thursday night matchup with the Bills on September 17.
Whether Gibbs gets his preferred visor by then is up to the league.
After Sunday’s opener, Detroit probably has fewer questions about what it wants him to do once the helmet is on.
Lions Star Jahmyr Gibbs Makes Plea to NFL After Career Day