Aaron Rodgers' “go all grass throughout the league” moment was reflected on this week after FIFA World Cup players criticized the playing surface at MetLife Stadium.

According to Ed Valentine of SB Nation, players from France and Brazil questioned the field conditions even after FIFA required a temporary grass surface for the tournament. After Brazil played Morocco to a 1-1 draw at MetLife Stadium, Brazil's Vinicius Junior spoke about how the field conditions changed during the match.

"In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly,”  Junior said. “The game becomes very sluggish, and we can't get into our rhythm."

In 2022, the then–Green Bay Packers quarterback advocated for the NFL to mandate natural grass fields for all games.

"I do think it's time to go all grass throughout the league," Rodgers said as reported by ESPN in 2022. "I think you would see less of these noncontact injuries that we see on some of the surfaces."

The issue gained more attention in 2023 when Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury just four snaps into his New York Jets debut at MetLife Stadium when Buffalo Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd took him down for a sack.

Years later, the debate gained traction with the stadiums hosting FIFA.

According to the NFLPA survey from 2024, 92% of players prefer natural grass, 6% have no preference, and the remaining 2% prefer synthetic turf.

FIFA spent nearly a decade researching how to create natural grass fields inside stadiums that usually use synthetic turf. The grass now in place at MetLife was grown for 10 months at Carolina Green Turf Farm in North Carolina before being transported to New Jersey.

Even France midfielder Adrien Rabiot addressed the same issue after his team's 3-1 win over Senegal.

"The pitch... I don't even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface, quite hard and quite rigid," Rabiot said as reported by SB Nation.

MetLife Stadium, which received an F-minus grade in the latest NFLPA player survey.

As FIFA stadiums switch to grass for the World Cup, attention has turned to NFL owners who want to bring back turf after the tournament ends.

Jerry Jones rejects calls for permanent grass at AT&T stadium

As more NFL players push for natural grass fields, the debate over playing surfaces has returned to the spotlight, this time with the Dallas Cowboys.

With AT&T Stadium set to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many players and fans have questioned why the team plans to switch back to artificial turf after the tournament ends, based on the team's owner's statement.

“We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on grass,” Jones said, as reported by NFL Analysis on June 15.

Jones believes artificial turf makes more sense because it costs less to maintain and allows the stadium to host more events throughout the year.

AT&T Stadium has installed a FIFA-approved grass field for the World Cup because tournament rules require natural surfaces.

While Jones will be replacing the natural grass after the FIFA matches end, what do you think of the issues about MetLife Stadium? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Quarter Back Central.

Written by

Shreya Mishra

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar