Fans watching LA Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert may have noticed something peculiar about his appearance in recent weeks: his eyes look red. This unusual look isn’t the result of fatigue or an injury, however, but rather tinted contact lenses the 27-year-old has been using. Yes, the same type that sparked an NFL ban nearly two decades ago.
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These red-tinted lenses trace their roots back to Nike’s MaxSight contact lenses, developed in 2005 through a partnership with Bausch & Lomb.
At the time, Nike marketed the product as a groundbreaking accessory for athletes because the lenses filtered ultraviolet light to reduce glare. Plus, the company also claimed that it could ‘enhance performance’ by making balls and surroundings appear clearer.
“It’s for anybody who takes their sports seriously who wants to crank their game up to the next level. For a vast majority of individuals who wear this lens, it will give them the edge over someone of equal skill not wearing them. But it won’t make a mediocre high school player get a scholarship at Notre Dame,” optometrist Dr. Hal Breedlove said at the time of release.
The amber-tinted version was tailored for ball sports like baseball or tennis, while the gray-green model was intended for sports like golf or running. Athletes such as Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts credited MaxSight lenses with improving their day-game performance.
But there was a catch. Despite the hype, the scientific evidence behind Nike’s claims proved flimsy. Studies later found that tinted contacts didn’t meaningfully boost performance. Still, the NFL took notice, and in 2007, the league banned tinted lenses, fearing they provided an unfair advantage. No chances taken!
As sports personality Tyler M. Webb recently explained in an Instagram video:
“There was just one problem. These claims weren’t true. But that didn’t stop the NFL from taking notice and banning the colored contact lenses in 2007 over concerns that they provided players with an unfair advantage.”
Nike eventually discontinued the product in 2008, though reports suggest some professional athletes quietly continued to use variations of tinted lenses well into the 2010s.
Fast forward to 2025, and Justin Herbert seems to have revived attention on the trend.
During the Chargers’ recent training camp, Herbert was spotted wearing red-tinted lenses to block out sunlight and reduce squinting during drills. According to Webb, Justin Herbert turned to the lenses because he disliked constantly cleaning his tinted visor and, of course, couldn’t wear sunglasses under his helmet.
The IG creator also added that Justin Herbert has even expressed interest in using them during games, but as Webb emphasized:
“Even though he’s expressed interest in wearing these during a game this year, the NFL’s original ban from 2007 unfortunately still prevents him from doing so.”
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That said, it’s worth noting that Justin Herbert isn’t alone in looking for ways to fight glare. For decades, players have turned to eye black, the grease applied under their eyes, to cut down on bright lights or sunlight on the field. So, from this POV, red-tinted lenses are simply a modern extension of that practice with a much flashier [spookier?] aesthetic.
So, the answer to why Justin Herbert’s eyes look red isn’t mysterious at all. It’s just contact lenses. And while they may make him look eerie in training sessions, the NFL’s longstanding rules mean fans won’t be seeing those red eyes under the bright lights of Sunday just yet. And anyway, Justin Herbert has never needed any contact lenses to perform like a man possessed.
