MetLife Stadium, home of the Giants and the Jets, has once again entered the spotlight due to injury concerns about its turf.
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending knee injury during a Week 4 game at home after landing awkwardly on the field, re-igniting players’ objections to MetLife’s playing surface.
Then, this past week, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a surprise inactive for a visit to MetLife Stadium on Thursday Night Football. The turf “played a part” in Carter’s decision to sit out, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Carter is the first player known to specifically avoid playing a game at MetLife, though other players may have made similar choices in the past. Future game day inactives at MetLife may draw questions about the turf’s influence in their decision not to play.
Those events fueled a widespread belief among players that grass is safer to play on than turf. One team is “petrified” of playing at MetLife, with an executive noting that players may be less inclined to play through injury when visiting the New York teams. Leaguewide, more than 90% of players have said they prefer grass in the last two NFLPA surveys, according to The Athletic’s Diana Russini. Of particular confusion is the decision by several stadiums to switch from turf to grass for upcoming soccer tournaments with plans to switch back to turf for football.
However, injury data from the league tells a different story. Since installing a new FieldTurf Core system in 2023, injuries have at MetLife have decreased; last year, it had one of the lowest injury rates in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Research from the Jets indicates that players have suffered more knee ligament or Achilles tears on grass compared to turf fields, and league data also shows that lower-extremity injuries are actually less common at MetLife.
NFLPA executive director David White mentioned players’ concern about MetLife’s turf to the Giants during a pre-planned visit that took place after Nabers’ injury, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Still, neither the NFL nor either of the home teams plan to make any changes to the playing surface at MetLife, though it seems to be a point of contention that players will continue to raise.