George Kittle blasts the NFL and makes desperate plea for league to make huge change in post from World Cup final

The 2026 World Cup proved at least one thing in the eyes of NFL players: Real grass is within their reach.

League players launched a social media campaign this week to implore the NFL commissioner’s office to install natural playing surfaces at stadiums that currently use artificial turf.

‘If stadiums can make grass work for the World Cup, they can make it work for NFL players,’ several players posted on X. ‘We’re #WorthTheCost.’

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle didn’t use that hashtag but did share a photo from Sunday’s Spain-Argentina final at MetLife Stadium to urge the NFL to adopt grass playing surfaces.

‘Grass looks great at MetLife!’ Kittle wrote on X. ‘Can we keep it that way @NFL?? Would appreciate it thanks.’

The grass at MetLife Stadium was actually grown in North Carolina and trucked to East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it was rolled over the artificial turf. 

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has pushed the NFL to adopt grass surfaces 

MetLife Stadium’s artificial turf is often criticized by NFL players, many of whom see it as a safety hazard. Most notably, Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles tendon during his first offensive series at MetLife Stadium after joining the New York Jets in 2023.

In total, 11 NFL stadiums were used as World Cup venues this summer, with seven converting from artificial turf to natural grass for the tournament.

‘The players prefer to play on natural grass. We would love if we could get to that,’ Jets defensive lineman Harrison Phillips, a member of the NFLPA’s executive committee, told ESPN last month. ‘There’s a ton of issues with climate and how is it possible. If they’re able to figure it out for other organizations and other groups playing, they probably can figure it out for us.’

For its part, the NFL has argued that the stadiums have too many uses to permanently install natural grass. 

‘That’s a really challenging thing to do is say we’re going to go from a building that produces not just great football games but also community events, the opportunity for our local fans to enjoy our facility, to have a facility to be this large scale, this big, this nice, it’s hard to do that with just football games throughout the season,’ NFL field director Nick Pappas told ESPN.

One of the advantages of real grass is that it stays cooler than artificial turf, as Messi knows

Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets is helped off the field for an apparent injury during a game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones echoed that belief at the league’s annual meetings in Phoenix earlier this year.

‘No, we have more flexibility with the way we handle our surface at the stadium,’ Jones said of using artificial turf. ‘We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on a grass [field] or a turf. We are ambiguous as to the safety of it.

‘The turf, actually like many things, improves the economics of being able to play this game and our players are the biggest benefactor of all. They get the best benefit of when we do good things financially, the players are benefiting.

‘I’m very comfortable putting some grass down for soccer under regulations and proud to be able to do it but quickly get that turf back out there to go about the other business of the stadium and the team.’