Jordan RaananMay 12, 2026, 12:00 PM ETCloseJordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.Follow on XMultiple Authors
While NFL players watch some of their stadiums get new grass fields installed for upcoming FIFA World Cup games, it only reinforces their desire to move away from turf.
Tretter said the talking point is that the injury rates on turf vs. grass have become marginal. But he added that if you look deeper into the numbers, turf injuries have held relatively steady. Grass injury rates have gotten worse.
So it’s not just the idea of NFL stadiums having grass instead of turf. Tretter said he wants quality grass fields that reach certain unspecified standards.
The NFL and NFLPA agreed late last year to a new model for selecting playing surfaces in stadiums, one that will require teams to choose from an approved set of metrics and styles for both natural and synthetic fields. The policy will apply to any teams that plan to replace their surfaces for the 2026 season. By the 2028 season, all stadiums will be required to have approved fields.
FIFA uses only grass fields for the World Cup. MetLife Stadium, AT&T Field, Gillette Stadium, Lumen Field, NRG Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium all use some sort of artificial turf for NFL games but will have natural grass for the matches this summer.
“You look at FIFA, they’re rolling out the green carpet for soccer players. And that has become the norm,” Tretter said. “Over in European leagues, that is what you do. You play on grass. They have surface standards that each thing is rolled out. It’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. And those players will not play if it’s not that.”
“I think it’s important for us to have metrics to enforce them, making sure the stadiums are being used predominantly for football games, especially when having concerts and monster truck rallies, those are all things owners make money off. The players don’t make money off it,” he said. “The idea that, hey, we’re going to host these events that means we have to put a worse surface on there for you and you don’t actually get any of that money for those events we’re hosting isn’t a great thing for the players either. And that is what we have to evaluate for the next deal.”
Jordan RaananMay 12, 2026, 12:00 PM ETCloseJordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseJordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.Follow on X