MetLife Stadium quietly underwent a major surface change ahead of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, and the NFL community took notice. When video footage surfaced online showing natural grass being laid down, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) reacted with a short but sharp message on X:
“Looks nice 
… #SaferFields.”
The temporary replacement of artificial turf with natural grass at MetLife came in response to FIFA’s requirements for international competitions. Although the change was made specifically for the Club World Cup, it reignited ongoing concerns among players and union representatives about the safety of synthetic playing surfaces in the NFL.
Lloyd Howell, who serves as the NFLPA’s executive director, had long emphasized how strongly players favored grass over turf.
“92% of our members want to play on grass,” Howell previously stated. “It’s straightforward—this isn’t rocket science.”
He pointed to the willingness to install natural surfaces for global events as proof that making a permanent change could be feasible.
This conversation gained fresh urgency after New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles tendon on the MetLife turf just four snaps into the 2023 season. The injury intensified player concerns and added momentum to the union’s ongoing call for safer playing environments. Notably, Rodgers had voiced his support for natural grass even before his injury occurred.
MetLife wasn’t the only NFL venue undergoing modifications. Stadiums like Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte also prepared temporary grass installations for FIFA-related events. All these stadiums plan to revert back to turf before the NFL season resumed. Looking ahead, seven NFL sites were expected to make similar temporary changes for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, not everyone within the league embraced the idea of a permanent switch. Giants co-owner John Mara pointed to weather conditions, scheduling demands, and the fact that two teams share MetLife as reasons why maintaining grass long-term might not be practical.
“With the amount of events in our building, particularly during the football season, having two teams there, and how many times last year we had back-to-back games where it rained during the first game, I can’t imagine what a grass field would’ve looked like on a second day,” Mara explained during an NFL owners meeting.
Despite pushback, the NFL has said it aims to offer fields optimized for player performance.
For the NFLPA, each grass installation served as another argument that safer fields were not a dream—they were already being rolled out.
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