The debate over installing natural grass in place of the artificial turf playing surface at MetLife Stadium has been revived recently after New York Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
For years now, players and coaches have been petitioning the Giants, and their co-tenants, the Jets, to replace the dangerous surface with natural grass. Although both teams have contemplated making the change, they have decided to stay the course due to practical reasons.
From Dianna Russini of The Athletic:
The New York Giants and Jets have no plans to rip out the turf at MetLife Stadium and replace it with grass. The decision, ultimately, lies with the teams’ ownership and the third-party group that manages the stadium. And for now, their stance is clear: The turf stays.
This past week, not long after star receiver Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending ACL injury during a home game, NFLPA interim executive director David White visited Giants headquarters as part of his annual fall tour. He met with players and sat down with co-owner John Mara to raise the issue of turf safety.
It’s not a new conversation. More than 90 percent of players, in back-to-back years of NFLPA surveys, have said they prefer grass. They believe it’s softer, safer and better for careers.
The teams actually heard the first protests and made a change to the surface back in 2023, but still, the injuries have continued to occur. The shift to natural grass is doable, but not sustainable for the long term. MetLife is the site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final and will have a grass field installed for the event, as is mandatory per their rules, but the artificial surface will be reinstated directly afterward.
MetLife’s continuing bad reputation is perhaps based on stale data. Per Russini, the playing field ranked ninth-best when it came to lower-extremity injuries in a 2024 study.
So why not just go grass and silence the argument forever? According to the league’s injury data, MetLife doesn’t fit the villain label. In 2024, the field ranked ninth-best when it came to lower-extremity injuries, according to that data. And for visiting players, who are typically more vulnerable on unfamiliar surfaces, MetLife actually graded out first, safest in the NFL.
So here we are. The NFL’s numbers point one way, while the players point to their knees.
The Giants and Jets would certainly make the switch if it made sense. Several years ago, it was reported that Jets owner Woody Johnson was hot on the idea and that he and Giants’ co-owner John Mara were considering it.
But MetLife is a well-used venue, one of North America’s most popular. With two NFL franchises playing there and many concerts and other events taking place year-round, a grass surface would be very expensive to maintain and might even create more of a hazard to players.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Injury data suggests MetLife Stadium is one of league’s safest fields
