MetLife Stadium has become notorious for its playing surface over the years. Over a dozen players have suffered knee ligament or Achilles tears at MetLife since 2020. In recent years, many players and coaches have complained about the danger of playing on the turf in East Rutherford, N.J. The venue was voted the worst NFL stadium in a November 2023 player poll done by The Athletic. One player noted, “the turf sucks.”

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur added to the list of complaints Monday. Packers running back Josh Jacobs suffered a knee contusion in Green Bay’s win over the New York Giants on Sunday, avoiding serious injury. LaFleur cited the “hard surface” at MetLife as a contributor to the injury in a news conference Monday.

Matt LaFleur says Josh Jacobs suffered a knee contusion. IR is not a consideration. Potentially can play Sunday against the Vikings. LaFleur shouts out the “hard surface” at MetLife.

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) November 17, 2025

After high-profile injuries such as Nick Bosa’s torn ACL in 2020 and Jaelan Phillips’ torn Achilles in 2022, the Giants and New York Jets replaced the old surface in 2023. The new FieldTurf Core system is an alternate form of artificial turf designed to reduce injuries.

That hasn’t stopped high-profile injuries from prompting calls for a move to natural grass. After Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson narrowly avoided a severe leg injury in October 2023, he expressed his feelings about the field conditions.

“It’s garbage, man,” Wilson said at the time. “You’re out there running, and all of a sudden your legs aren’t in the same place your head is at.”

Calls for changes were reignited in late September, when Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers tore his ACL during a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Former Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. voiced frustration on social media.

Respect and u kno I loveeeee the giants , but DeathLife has taken too many talented players away from the game. I kno it’s not ALL the turfs fault but at least maybe it to where we’ve gotten all research done to if TURF has to stay it’s at the HIGHEST of quality possible. At…

— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) September 29, 2025

A couple of weeks later, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter opted not to play in Philadelphia’s Week 6 game at MetLife Stadium against the Giants because of concerns about worsening a minor injury, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. In early November, San Francisco 49ers defensive end and 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams tore his ACL at MetLife against the Giants.

49ers tight end George Kittle was asked about the turf after the game.

“No NFL field should be the butt of a joke,” Kittle said. “Ever. I feel like all fields should have a level of safety to it. I just don’t get why there’s not a standard for, ‘Hey, you gotta pick between one or two turfs.’ There shouldn’t be 12 different turfs and 12 different grass fields. I just think that’s weird because most other sports, it’s not like basketball players play on different hardwood, soccer players in Europe all play on really nice grass. So it’s just weird to me.”

Despite the field’s reputation, statistics appear to show its improvement since the field change in 2023. According to league injury data in 2024, MetLife was the ninth-best field surface for lower-extremity injuries. For visiting players, it ranked first in the NFL.

At the NFL’s fall owners’ meeting in October, league officials were quick to push back on the danger of the MetLife turf.

“They had one of the lowest injury rates, not just (among) synthetic (fields), but across the league last year,” NFL executive vice president for player safety Jeff Miller said. “MetLife is playing really well, and it has for a while.”

A spokesperson for Tarkett Sports, the company that owns FieldTurf, defended the conditions at MetLife and the seven other NFL stadiums that use FieldTurf. “Third-party research has consistently concluded that our systems are as safe or safer than natural grass and that our heavyweight infill systems reduce the incidence of injury compared to other synthetic turf systems,” said Iannick Di Sanza, director of marketing for Tarkett Sports, in a statement to The Athletic.

He added, “A single event can’t define player safety. True conclusions, backed by science, require a broad lens — looking at thousands of plays across hundreds of games. Not all turf is created equal, and FieldTurf systems are world-class and backed by science-based conclusions.”

MetLife Stadium officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest criticisms of the field.

The stadium is set to install a temporary natural grass field for the 2026 World Cup because of FIFA regulations requiring all matches to be played on natural grass. The venue is set to host the 2026 World Cup Final in July. There are no plans to make the change permanent.

Though MetLife continues to stick with artificial turf, the Denver Broncos replaced their natural grass surface last week before Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. It marks the third straight year the Broncos have changed the grass at Empower Field, with hopes of ensuring it remains as safe as possible for the players. CBS commentator Tony Romo, who called Sunday’s contest alongside Jim Nantz, called the field “immaculate.”