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The World Cup is over, which means we can finally get back to Nick Sirianni’s job security.
Inside: NFL stadiums are tearing up that soccer grass to reinstall turf. Are players right to be upset? Plus: three receivers with everything to play for. Let’s go.
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Grass vs. Turf: Time to get real?
George Kittle, in attendance at the World Cup final in East Rutherford, N.J., had a message for the NFL:
“Grass looks great at MetLife! Can we keep it that way @NFL?? Would appreciate it thanks.”
Kittle was one of many stars commenting on artificial turf lately, alongside Caleb Williams, Breece Hall and the players’ union itself:
“The temporary installation of natural grass fields for the World Cup is a choice by certain NFL team owners to do for soccer players what they refuse to do for NFL players,” the NFLPA said in a statement on June 10.
“It’s no longer a question of capability: the technology exists, the expertise exists and the resources exist to install the high-level grass fields that our players overwhelmingly prefer.”
As the battle for grass fields escalates, the lawyer in me can’t resist sharing the arguments for and against switching entirely to grass. But first, a quick look at the league’s 30 fields (remember two of them are home to two teams each):
It’s a near-even split, with 16 of 30 using grass (two of which are hybrids made up of 97 percent grass and 3 percent turf), while the other 14 are fully turf.
FIFA mandates grass fields for the World Cup, which forced the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium and Seahawks’ Lumen Field to transform overnight.
That should end comments like these from owners:
“We don’t think we can have a quality natural grass in our stadium,” said Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones in 2023, giving a host of reasons for why grass wouldn’t work. Three years (and a successful World Cup) later, we have a video of Dallas staff removing natural grass after the world watched elite competitions being played on it.
So yeah, players are rightfully upset; 92 percent of them prefer grass, according to the NFLPA. But why?
Several studies have been conducted on the turf vs. grass debate, finding:
NFLPA: 28 percent higher rate of non-contact, lower-extremity injuries when playing on turf. Of those injuries, players have a 69 percent higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf.
NFL: However, the Titans reported Nissan Stadium had among the highest number of lower-extremity injuries from 2018-2021 … before switching from grass to turf. (I’d say that was partly because their offense revolved around the bruising Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown, though Tennessee also had difficulty maintaining its grass.)
Since the players’ conclusions on this appear more credible overall, I can only imagine the physical toll that will be taken on the Giants and Titans, each playing 15 of their 17 regular-season games on turf this season.
(The numbers in the below chart reference the number of games the team will play on turf in 2026)
The Giants play home games on the turf at MetLife, which is where star receiver Malik Nabers tore his ACL last season. It’s a different turf than the one which claimed Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles in 2023 and Nick Bosa’s ACL in 2020, but it’s still turf.
So what’s the counter argument?
For one thing, owners want to host non-NFL events at their stadiums, including concerts, which makes it difficult to maintain grass.
That wasn’t a problem for Raiders owner Mark Davis, however, who installed a retractable field:
“That was something that I specifically had to have, was grass for safety purposes. The Raiders were not going to play on astroturf.”
Also, when it comes to owners, dollars often prevail over sense. Get it!? Cents!! Unlike that cheap line, grass is expensive. Maybe the NFL can again take a page from the World Cup and sell us the grass after each game?
Either way, expect the NFLPA to negotiate this. Whether they do it capably will be another story.
What would you do as a player, if you were forced to choose? Take a lower salary in exchange for natural grass, or stick with turf and pocket more cash?
On the topic of players …
WRs who must deliver
I’ve never had a coach say to me, “Jacob, you have all the talent in the world. You just have to figure it out.”
It’s easy to maximize athletic talent when you’re built to write newsletters. It’s another thing when you’re a 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver catching passes from Josh Allen.
Keon Coleman is the Bills player with the most to prove in 2026. Everyone knows it, especially Buffalo’s No. 33 pick in 2024. “For me, it’s make it or break it. (If) you’re s—, you might not be here. Simple as that,” said Coleman, who has averaged just 2.6 catches and 36.9 yards per game since entering the league.
He joins two other high-profile receivers in The Athletic’s list of 32 players with the most on the line in 2026:
- Puka Nacua enters the final year of the biggest discount in the NFL, his four-year, $4.1 million rookie contract. Most receivers with his production at age 25 are no-brainer extensions, but his off-field concerns have changed that.
- Rashee Rice faces different off-field concerns. Also in the final year of his rookie deal, he has legal bills that could be in the millions of dollars, which would put a more personal strain on his expiring $6.4 million rookie contract.
Plenty more big names in the full story, including the Chargers’ Khalil Mack, the 35-year-old star edge who hopes to win a playoff game for the first time in his career (!!).
Extra Points
👀 Browns QB options. Zac Jackson shares the latest in a Cleveland battle that someone has to win.
🎰 Arizona exec appeals. Ryan Gold was suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, having allegedly shared confidential information about the Cardinals’ draft picks. He’s appealing it.
🙃 Upside-down. Cam Skattebo said he’s “perfectly fine” after a backflip on stage in New York. His rookie season ended in Week 8 with a fractured fibula, ruptured deltoid ligament and dislocated ankle. Hmm.
▶️ Most-clicked: Ranking every NFL soccer-style jersey from 1-32. Thanks for nothing, Fanatics.
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