Giants, Jets Have Frequently Discussed Replacing MetLife Stadium's Artificial Surface

The New York Giants and New York Jets share a stadium whose field has been the site of multiple significant injuries over the last decade or two. After every injury, fans and football players make their feelings about the turf field at Metlife Stadium known.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon and Metlife Stadium hosting the World Cup Final, the turf field at Metlife has again become a topic of conversation as the most prominent soccer games are played on grass fields. That will still be the case for the 2026 World Cup.

As a result, the question has now come up as to whether MetLife Stadium, which hosts the New York Giants and New York Jets, could conceivably make a go of things with a permanent grass field, which the NFLPA believes will help curtail injuries.

This is something that owners of both the Giants and Jets have discussed regularly, as in "at least once a week," according to Jets owner Woody Johnson, who revealed that fact to NJ Advance Media.

Considering the injuries that have occurred on MetLife Stadium's turf--Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1, making him the latest high-profiled athlete to see his season cut short due to an injury on the artificial surface--it comes as no surprise that both owners want to find a way to curtail a possible source of injury. They tried to do so just last year when the old MetLife Stadium turf was replaced in favor of a monofilament surface, which is a bit softer and more grass-like.

However, the thought of installing grass permanently would come as a challenge not just because two NFL teams share the venue but also because the stadium hosts other events such as concerts, fairs, and motocross.

Factor those in along with the winery weather that grips the northeast in December through January, and the prospect of having a grass field, which the Giants and Jets tried many years ago in the old Giants Stadium only to abandon the idea, becomes an unrealistic and costly proposition.

However, the NFLPA and its members don't want to hear about the costs. According to NFLPA President JC Tretter, studies have shown a significant difference in injuries on turf fields compared to grass fields.

Based on NFL injury data collected from 2012 to 2018, not only was the contact injury rate for lower extremities higher during practices and games held on artificial turf, NFL players consistently experienced a much higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries on turf compared to natural surfaces. Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf than grass.

But unless the Giants and Jets can figure out how to manage the costs of maintaining a grass field in a venue that is used beyond football, the artificial turf seems destined to stay for now.

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