{"id":795500,"date":"2026-07-12T12:43:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T12:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/795500\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T12:43:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T12:43:21","slug":"will-nfl-teams-switch-from-turf-to-grass-after-world-cup-heres-what-four-teams-have-said","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/795500\/","title":{"rendered":"Will NFL Teams Switch From Turf to Grass After World Cup? Here\u2019s What Four Teams Have Said"},"content":{"rendered":"

NFL players have long called for grass fields over turf, and those calls have become heightened this offseason during the World Cup.<\/a><\/p>\n

As part of the requirements for the U.S. and several of its stadiums to host the World Cup, multiple NFL owners had to change their fields from turf to grass for the soccer players\u2014something they won\u2019t do for their own players.<\/p>\n

The NFL speaks on the importance of player health and safety, but when it comes to the league\u2019s playing surfaces, their actions don\u2019t match their words. Prior data from 2012 to 2018 has backed the idea<\/a> that players suffer a higher rate of injuries on turf fields than grass fields. More recent data hasn\u2019t showed a significant difference in injury rates between the two surfaces, per the NFL\u2019s chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills<\/a>, but players also say they feel better after playing on grass. There are reasons FIFA has refused to let its stars play on artificial turf in the first place.<\/p>\n

Related: The World Cup Has Exposed the NFL\u2019s Turf Problem. Now It\u2019s Time for Owners to Do Right By Their Players.<\/a><\/p>\n

Many NFL teams have avoided making the switch from turf to grass because of the costs associated with maintaining grass fields and because it\u2019s easier to host concerts and other events on turf than grass. <\/p>\n

That hasn\u2019t stopped the cries for grass fields from growing louder, particularly this offseason, which has seen players such as George Kittle<\/a>, Kirk Cousins<\/a>, and the NFL player\u2019s association <\/a>speak out on the matter. <\/p>\n

Will their calls turn into action? <\/p>\n

What four teams have recently said about the grass vs. turf debate<\/p>\n

Raiders owner Mark Davis, whose players play on grass, has been the most prominent figure to speak in support of grass fields. \u201cI just always felt that football should be played on grass,\u201d Davis recently told The Los Angeles Times<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s for safety purposes, No. 1. I want it to look like a game was played even if it\u2019s an indoor field. You see grass stains and everything else. I wasn\u2019t going to a stadium without it being grass once I knew that capability was there. Obviously, it added a lot of cost, but it\u2019s worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t count on the Cowboys to adopt the same approach as Davis. Back in the spring, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones notably confirmed<\/a> that they would not keep the grass fields at AT&T Stadium after the World Cup. \u201cWe have more flexibility with the way we handle our surface at the stadium. We have no belief that it\u2019s any safer to play on grass,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThe turf, actually like many things, improves the economics of being able to play this game and our players are the biggest benefactor of all. They get the best benefit of when we do good things financially, the players benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Broncos coach Sean Payton, a member of the NFL\u2019s competition committee, believes grass fields will become more widely adopted. He told SportsBoom\u2019s Jason La Canfora<\/a>, \u201cOur game is a little different. When you\u2019re playing in the trenches on that surface, you know, the type of football shoes we wear are different. … But eventually I think you\u2019re going to see\u00a0\u00a0where it\u2019s possible. and I think that, man, it was super impressive there. Seattle, the host city for that game, did a terrific job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giants coach John Harbaugh, whose new team plays on turf at one of the league\u2019s most notorious stadiums for injuries, said in June<\/a> of MetLife Stadium switching to grass for the World Cup, \u201cOh, you\u2019re going to try to draw me in to the turf versus grass. And Roger [Goodell] is gonna call me up and he\u2019s gonna get mad at me because I\u2019m probably not gonna say what he wants me to say, so. That\u2019s all I\u2019m gonna say. That\u2019s all I\u2019m gonna say. It\u2019s a good surface out there. It\u2019s a good artificial surface, I\u2019ll say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which NFL stadiums use turf instead of grass?<\/p>\n

There are 14 stadiums that still use turf. They are: <\/p>\n

AT&T Stadium (Cowboys) Bank of America Stadium (Panthers) Caesars Superdome (Saints)Ford Field (Lions)Gillette Stadium (Patriots) Lucas Oil Stadium (Colts)Lumen Field (Seahawks) Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Falcons)MetLife Stadium (Giants & Jets)Nissan Stadium (Titans) NRG Stadium (Texans)Paycor Stadium (Bengals) SoFi Stadium (Chargers & Rams) U.S. Bank Stadium (Vikings) <\/p>\n

Of theses stadiums, all seven that hosted World Cup games\u2014AT&T Stadium, Gillette Stadium, Lumen Field, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, MetLife Stadium, NRG Stadium and SoFi Stadium\u2014switched their fields from turf to grass.<\/p>\n

Related: The 10 Oldest Stadiums in the NFL<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, there are 15 stadiums that already boast grass surfaces. This includes the Bills, who are the most recent team to switch from turf to grass with the opening of their new stadium this year. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at all the stadiums that use grass fields. <\/p>\n

Acrisure Stadium (Steelers) Allegiant Stadium (Raiders) Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs)Mile High Stadium (Broncos)EverBank Stadium (Jaguars) Hard Rock Stadium (Dolphins)Highmark Stadium (Bills) Huntington Bank Field (Browns)Lambeau Field (Packers) Levi\u2019s Stadium (49ers)Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles)M&T Bank Stadium (Ravens)Northwest Stadium (Commanders)Raymond James Stadium (Buccaneers)Soldier Field (Bears) State Farm Stadium (Cardinals) More NFL from Sports Illustrated\"\"Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow<\/a>