NFL players may collectively bargain for grass fields in future negotiations but it would come at a cost

Days after the FIFA World Cup Tournament left some of the American NFL venues with pristine turf fields installed, the process of returning to synthetic turf normal has already begun. And that’s unwelcome news for NFL players.

Therefore, the NFL Players Association will consider whether an NFL-wide turf field mandate should be made a high-level demand in future collective bargaining negotiations with the league, according to a union source.

A final decision on this approach has not been made anytime soon, the source said.

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The reason this is currently an issue is because NFL players watch World Cup games on grass fields, which are normally played in the six NFL stadiums that feature artificial turf. The last of these took place on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, where the Final between Argentina and Spain was decided on a field covered with North Carolina Bermuda grass.

This has left NFL players longing for turf fields, which they believe will relax their bodies and perhaps alleviate some injuries.

But MetLife will reconvert it to turf in the coming weeks in preparation for preseason and regular-season games for the New York Giants and New York Jets, and five other fields hosting World Cup games have already ripped out million-dollar turf fields and replaced them with man-made turf.

Workers install the pitch at New York New Jersey Stadium ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 7, 2026. (Charly Triballeau/AFP)

NFL players, who watched with longing as the stadiums they played in switched from artificial grass to grass, started a campaign on social media to keep the grass. Players such as San Francisco Giants tight end George Kittle and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams have advocated playing on turf fields throughout the league, in compliance with the NFLPA.

But this campaign hasn’t changed anything and probably won’t. It’s a losing battle because it relies on NFL owners making a conscious decision to lose money by having to replace turf fields more frequently after events like concerts or by hosting fewer events.

The social media campaign was a call that would have no impact next season.

This leaves the NFLPA to consider whether to defend its membership’s overwhelming desire in both casual and formal negotiations with the NFL in hopes of including the issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement after the current collective bargaining agreement expires in March 2031.

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There’s no certainty that this will happen because, as an NFLPA source told Fox News Digital, asking for something always means giving up something, and that often means money in negotiations with owners; like players will get less.

NFLPA President JC Tretter speaks at a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LVI at the NFL Media Building on the SoFi Stadium campus in Inglewood, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

For grass to be mandated in the CBA, players would have to give up something else. At a minimum, the league will want to split the total cost of turf installation and maintenance in stadiums where more durable turf is standard.

The owners could also try to make the turf setup part of the trade in exchange for the addition of an 18th regular-season game and more international games.

Without a collective bargaining agreement on the issue, players will be left at the whim of their owners, who may or may not decide to replace their turf with turf to please their players.

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“It’s a hope, and hope is often not a good strategy for getting what you need,” a players union source said.

The Buffalo Bills will meet that hope because they have installed sod in the new Highmark Stadium, which will open next season. But that means the other 14 NFL stadiums, home to 16 home teams, will continue to use synthetic turf.

This includes stadiums hosting World Cup matches played on grass.

Follow Armando Salguero on X: @ArmandoSalguero