FIFA also required the stadiums to install underground irrigation, ventilation, and drainage systems, with sprinkler heads that pop up. Officials in Dallas boasted that transforming their field used a combined 45,000 man hours and 15,000 tons of materials.<\/p>\n
There is no standard procedure for growing and installing the grass across the 16 venues, as the elements vary widely. Matches in Miami, Kansas City, and the Northeast will be hot and humid outdoors. Matches in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Vancouver will be indoors, the most such venues in a single World Cup. Matches in Mexico will be at high altitude, and matches on the West Coast will be in modest climes.<\/p>\n
While all conversions from artificial to natural grass are expensive and laborious, the indoor stadiums present unique challenges. Mercedes-Benz, which opened in 2017, has a retractable roof, but was not designed for natural grass. Same with AT&T Stadium in suburban Dallas and NRG Stadium in Houston. LA\u2019s SoFi Stadium isn\u2019t a full dome, but has a translucent roof blocking 65 percent of sunlight.<\/p>\n
Growing vegetation indoors is certainly common, but maintaining a FIFA-sized soccer pitch<\/a> over two months is unprecedented. The grass in each indoor stadium has been laid for more than a week, but an NFL source said one venue had to start over because the grass didn\u2019t take the first time.<\/p>\n \u201cGrowing grass indoors has been proven possible,\u201d Pappas said. \u201cThe question becomes, do you have enough time and resources to recover the grass before you use it again?\u201d<\/p>\n The first issue to figure out at the three domed stadiums was how to create the ideal environment for indoor growing. The solution was to turn each stadium into a massive greenhouse \u2014 keeping the retractable roof closed for the entire six-week duration of the World Cup, and blasting the air conditioning.<\/p>\n Opening the roof would provide sunlight, but any benefits would be outweighed by outside heat and humidity.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re now having to water more trying to keep the grass cool and keeping it from dying and burning out,\u201d Pappas said<\/a>. \u201cEverything\u2019s really sensitive. Even something like having the bay doors open around the field can create a draft, and that could increase how fast the field dries out. So keeping the AC running, keeping it cooler in the building, and using supplemental light rigs as much as we can and treating it like a greenhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n The grass therefore needed to be grown in a cold-weather environment. Atlanta and Houston got their sod from a farm in Colorado, using a hybrid of bluegrass and rye that has been growing for more than a year.<\/p>\n \u201cNot a grass you would typically grow on a sports field in Atlanta,\u201d Pappas said.<\/p>\n But installation is only the beginning. Dallas will host nine matches between June 14 and July 14, and Atlanta will host eight between June 15 and July 15.<\/p>\n Refurbishing the field and keeping it in pristine condition is no easy task indoors. This is why FIFA also requires exclusive use of the stadiums throughout the World Cup, with no other events on the field other than some training and pre-match rehearsals.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce the grass goes inside, it\u2019s really hard to make the grass better than the day it went in,\u201d Pappas said. \u201cIt\u2019s more of, how much can you slow the degradation process and make sure you\u2019re recovering in a tournament like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Pappas, who ascended to the NFL\u2019s chief turf expert<\/a> role three years ago, is as eager to watch the grass-growing experiment unfold as he is the world-class soccer being played on it.<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly, it will be fun to recap at the end of the tournament,\u201d Pappas said. \u201cAs a field and surface enthusiast, I\u2019m obviously very excited to learn from the experience, and talk to some of my colleagues and hear what they\u2019ve experienced and some of the challenges they may face and the success stories that come out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n WAITING GAME<\/p>\n Trade for Brown could soon go down<\/p>\n The highly anticipated trade<\/a> between the Eagles and Patriots for A.J. Brown might finally reach its conclusion soon, with the magic June 2 date hitting this Tuesday. Trading the wide receiver after June 1 allows the Eagles to split his dead salary cap money over two years ($16 million this year, $27 million next year) instead of taking all $43 million in 2026.<\/p>\n But just because the Eagles can trade Brown early in the week doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it\u2019s going to happen right away. NFL Network reported Thursday that the Eagles and Patriots are \u201cnot particularly close,\u201d and it\u2019s easy to see why.<\/p>\n One, by all accounts, the Patriots are the only team involved in the trade talks. Were another team interested in trading for Brown, the Eagles surely would have leaked it by now. The Eagles may want a first-round pick in return, but the Patriots are negotiating against themselves and have the leverage.<\/p>\n That could change if another team gets involved. Several teams need a receiver, including the Chiefs, Ravens, Colts, Rams, Chargers, Falcons, and Seahawks. But considering Brown will be 29, costs $50 million the next two years ($29 million in 2026), has a balky knee, and has caused some locker-room friction in the past, it doesn\u2019t seem as if any other team is going to get into the mix. Free agents Stefon Diggs<\/a> and Deebo Samuel are available and cheaper, without having to give up a draft pick.<\/p>\n Two, the deadline for a trade to be executed is really three months from now. The bulk of Brown\u2019s money for this year ($27.45 million) comes in an option bonus that doesn\u2019t have to be triggered until the day before the first game of the regular season. The Eagles don\u2019t have to pay Brown anything until then, so they have until Sept. 12 before needing to move him. <\/p>\n Eagles general manager Howie Roseman isn\u2019t going to just give Brown away, and has three months to drum up the best offer.<\/p>\n The Patriots<\/a> will probably want to execute a deal soon, just so they can get Brown acclimated before training camp. A solution might be offering the Eagles a first-round pick in 2028 or 2029. But there\u2019s no guarantee the trade will happen next week, and it could easily drag out over several weeks or months.<\/p>\n ETC.<\/p>\n Gonzalez\u2019s big payday approaches<\/p>\n The Patriots also are dealing with a contractual issue with cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who wasn\u2019t in attendance at voluntary practices this past week as he seeks a new deal. <\/p>\n Now that Gonzalez has completed three NFL seasons, he is eligible for a new contract, and he is likely looking to match or exceed Rams corner Trent McDuffie, who just signed for $31 million per year. The Colts\u2019 Ahmad Gardner ($30.1 million) and the Texans\u2019 Derek Stingley ($30 million) are the other two corners at $30 million per year.<\/p>\n Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf<\/a> has expressed a desire to extend Gonzalez this offseason, but the Patriots aren\u2019t going to hand out a market-breaking contract without serious negotiations. Considering training camp is two months out and the season more than three, there isn\u2019t a ton of urgency to commence a deal.<\/p>\n While Gonzalez is one of the most valuable players in the NFL \u2014 an elite player at a premium position who turns just 24 next month \u2014 the Patriots still hold most of the leverage. Gonzalez is under contract for about $21 million the next two years ($2.8 million this year, $18.12 million next), so that\u2019s where the negotiation starts. The Patriots will give him a raise and potentially reset the market at cornerback, but Gonzalez won\u2019t cash in like he were a true unrestricted free agent. For example, Stingley\u2019s three-year, $90 million extension is really a five-year, $112 million deal ($22.5 million average).<\/p>\n Being under contract also means the Patriots can fine Gonzalez for every mandatory day he misses. It might behoove Gonzalez to skip mandatory minicamp next month, as it will only cost him a total of $107,911 over three days. But the Patriots can fine Gonzalez $45,000 for every day of training camp he skips, and can invalidate his guarantees and toll his contract were he to stage a lengthy holdout. <\/p>\n It\u2019s likely why Wolf has mentioned multiple times this offseason that Gonzalez is \u201cunder contract.\u201d<\/p>\n One other element may be standing in the way between Gonzalez and a new deal \u2014 the Seahawks\u2019 Devon Witherspoon, another fourth-year corner looking for a new contract. Witherspoon, a three-time Pro Bowler, is under contract for $5 million this year and $21 million next year, and he and Seattle reportedly are not close on a new deal. It\u2019s possible that Gonzalez and Witherspoon are both angling to be the highest-paid cornerback, and neither wants to blink first.<\/p>\n It seems likely that the Patriots will come to an agreement with Gonzalez before the regular season<\/a>. He\u2019s a franchise cornerstone, and the team won\u2019t want to wait another year because it has a massive negotiation looming next spring with quarterback Drake Maye. But don\u2019t be surprised if the Patriots make Gonzalez sweat it out for a few weeks in training camp to get a better deal for themselves.<\/p>\n Andy Reid is the king of second chances (and third, and fourth), and it seems the Chiefs coach has every intention of sticking by Rashee Rice as the receiver deals with another off-field incident.<\/p>\n Rice is serving 30 days in jail after testing positive for marijuana and violating his parole<\/a>, and it\u2019s complicating his recovery from a recent clean-up procedure on his knee. But Reid spoke of Rice as if he is still very much in Kansas City\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re moving forward, just normal as we go here,\u201d Reid said Thursday. \u201cWhen he gets back, we\u2019ve got to get him caught up and doing what he needs to do. And then, make sure he gets it. It\u2019s not an easy thing he\u2019s going through. Life lessons are important, but we\u2019re all given chances to learn, and so he\u2019s in that position now.\u201d<\/p>\n The Chiefs still need another receiver even as they stand by Rice. They are an obvious landing spot for a veteran receiver, with Diggs and Samuel at the top of the list.<\/p>\n Rams coach Sean McVay<\/a> initially gave the impression he wasn\u2019t too thrilled with the drafting of quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick, in part because he was worried about how it would affect veteran Matthew Stafford. New Englanders remember Tom Brady wasn\u2019t too excited to see the Patriots draft Jimmy Garoppolo.<\/p>\n But give Stafford credit, he is saying all the right things about Simpson and embracing the mentor role.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in there with him in the meeting room, on the practice field, trying to share as much knowledge as I can. I was a big fan of Ty when he was playing at Alabama,\u201d Stafford, who went to Georgia, told ESPN\u2019s Pat McAfee<\/a>. \u201cI sent him a text after he got drafted and said, \u2018Really enjoyed watching you play, just that you were in the wrong jersey.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n The Ravens have done a great job of giving Lamar Jackson ownership of the locker room. They allowed him to participate in coaching interviews, and the quarterback has responded by participating in voluntary offseason practices<\/a> for the first time in years.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to get the terminology down. Everything is new, so I had to be here,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cIt\u2019s smooth. I love it. Just know that I love it, and everyone else loves it.\u201d<\/p>\n Von Miller had nine sacks last year for the Commanders, the outside linebacker\u2019s most since 2021, and has been practically begging the Broncos to bring him back to finish his career. \u201cI lobby publicly, I lobby privately,\u201d Miller said. \u201cAt 37 years old I can still roll out of bed and rush the quarterback. I\u2019m still a great guy in the locker room. I bring great energy, and I\u2019m going to make sure everybody is ready to go.\u201d \u2026 Mac Jones wanted a trade from the 49ers to be a starter elsewhere. Instead, no market developed, and San Francisco ended up giving the backup quarterback<\/a> a raise in 2026, from $3.25 million to $3.55 million \u2026 The defending Super Bowl champions have their motto for 2026. \u201cWe\u2019re using the term, we want to \u2018run it forward,\u2019 meaning our process and who we are,\u201d Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said \u2026 The Vikings\u2019 J.J. McCarthy said there is \u201cno awkwardness\u201d with fellow quarterback Kyler Murray, which means there\u2019s probably plenty of awkwardness. Murray appears to be the clear leader for the starting job \u2026 Suspended Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby has until June 22 to apply for the NFL\u2019s supplemental draft, which takes place in July. Sorsby likely would be the first player taken since 2019, and could be worth a second- or third-round pick, though his gambling issues might dampen his value \u2026 Jaxson Dart violated the No. 1 rule \u2014 never talk politics at the dinner table. For a young quarterback trying to prove himself and win over his Giants teammates, Dart couldn\u2019t have caused a bigger distraction than he did appearing at a recent rally for President Trump. It was extremely na\u00efve or callous to inject himself into a divisive political setting, and linebacker Abdul Carter surely wasn\u2019t the only teammate upset by Dart\u2019s actions \u2026 It might get a little awkward at the next Fox Sports<\/a> family retreat. Greg Olsen, the network\u2019s No. 2 analyst, recently won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Personality\/Event Analyst, beating out Brady, the guy who replaced him as No. 1. It\u2019s only a matter of time before another network poaches Olsen and makes him a premium announcer again.<\/p>\n Mike Vrabel addresses media before the first day of Patriots OTAs<\/p>\n Patriots coach addressed the media on Wednesday morning ahead of the start of OTAs.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2W2HTNBH4QI6TKH37Z7FWY4QAI.jpg\")
The Patriots won their last Super Bowl, No. 6, at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.Jim Davis\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n![\"After](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/E633WAALLZE4CBRLEBS2J4ZEWM.jpg\")
After three seasons in the NFL, Christian Gonzalez is eligible for a bump in salary from the Patriots.John Tlumacki\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/N7H4GBQQ34I6FLSWOCQE6DMPAI.jpg\")
Tom Brady is one of many quarterbacks, retired or active, to be taken down by Von Miller since he entered the NFL in 2011 with the Broncos.Matthew J. Lee\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n