One of the biggest topics of the NFL season came into renewed focus this week at the league’s fall meetings: players’ preference for natural grass playing fields over artificial turf.
In September, after New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in the first drive of the season, NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell released a statement about NFL playing surfaces, saying: “Moving all stadium fields to high-quality natural grass surfaces is the easiest decision the NFL can make.”
Howell took office in June and wrote that during his short time in the role, the issue of artificial turf “has been near the top of the players’ list during my team visits and one I have raised with the NFL.”
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There have been several recent studies that show that turf causes more lower-body injuries than natural grass, and the NFLPA finds that research significant. The NFL and NFLPA share the same injury information and a CBA-mandated committee on field surface safety and performance, but the NFL has not taken the hard-line stance on the data that the NFLPA has, and has pointed out that some turf fields have a lower injury rate than some grass fields.
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There are also multiple types of turf and grass in use, perhaps further complicating matters. The league doesn’t have a specific regulation on the type of surfaces teams lay down. As of now, 15 stadiums have artificial turf and 15 have grass or hybrid grass, which is natural turf reinforced with synthetic fibers.
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Amid the calls for change, here’s a breakdown of the surface each NFL stadium uses:
Team | Stadium | Surface | Since when? |
|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Cardinals | State Farm Stadium | Grass | Opening (2006) |
Atlanta Falcons | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Turf | Opening (2017) |
Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | Grass | 2016 |
Buffalo Bills | Highmark Stadium | Turf | Opening (1973) |
Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | Turf | 2021 |
Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Grass | 1988 |
Cincinnati Bengals | Paycor Stadium | Turf | 2004 |
Cleveland Browns | FirstEnergy Stadium | Grass | Opening (1999) |
Dallas Cowboys | AT&T Stadium | Turf | Opening (2009) |
Denver Broncos | Empower Field at Mile High | Grass | 2015 |
Detroit Lions | Ford Field | Turf | Opening (2002) |
Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Hybrid | 2018 |
Houston Texans | NRG Stadium | Turf | 2015 |
Indianapolis Colts | Lucas Oil Stadium | Turf | Opening (2008) |
Jacksonville Jaguars | EverBank Stadium | Grass | Opening (1995) |
Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | Grass | 1994 |
Las Vegas Raiders | Allegiant Stadium | Grass | Opening (2020) |
Los Angeles Rams/Chargers | SoFi Stadium | Turf | Opening (2020) |
Miami Dolphins | HardRock Stadium | Grass | Opening (1987) |
Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank Stadium | Turf | Opening (2016) |
New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | Turf | 2006 |
New Orleans Saints | Caesars Superdome | Turf | Opening (1975) |
New York Giants/Jets | MetLife Stadium | Turf | Opening (2010) |
Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | Hybrid | Opening (2003) |
Pittsburgh Steelers | Acrisure Stadium | Grass | 2009 |
San Francisco 49ers | Levi's Stadium | Grass | Opening (2014) |
Seattle Seahawks | Lumen Field | Turf | Opening (2002) |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | Grass | Opening (1998) |
Tennessee Titans | Nissan Stadium | Turf | 2023 |
Washington Commanders | FedEx Field | Grass | Opening (1997) |
Further reading
- NFLPA: NFL used ‘outlier year’ to say turf, grass safety gap insignificant
- MetLife Stadium turf: What Jets, Bills had to say after Aaron Rodgers’ injury
- Super Bowl grass: ‘I’m not going to lie: It’s the worst field I’ve ever played on’
- Panthers players join growing chorus speaking out against turf
- Kawakami: Nick Bosa’s practical and powerful case against artificial turf — will NFL owners finally listen?
(Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images)