Giants, Jets Stadium Turf Linked to Injury Woes Again

Aaron Rodgers (8) of the New York Jets is pressured by Nik Bonitto (15) of the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sept. 29, 2024. Luke Hales/Getty Images

Metlife Stadium became the epicenter of major injuries again in Week 4, which has occurred often in years past.

This time, it started with the Dallas Cowboys’ 20–15 win over the New York Giants on Sept. 26, when two star players, Micah Parsons and Malik Nabers, sustained injuries on back-to-back plays. Then, Denver Broncos running back Tyler Badie’s head hit the turf on a hit by Jets linebacker Quincy Williams on Sept. 29, and Badie was carted off during the Broncos’ 10–9 win over the New York Jets.

“He didn’t come back with the team, but he came back commercially later in the evening,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton told reporters on Sept. 30. “We’re still evaluating him now. He’s doing better. Everyone that’s reached out, we appreciate the concerns. Fortunately, he was able to come back before the day ended.”

After Badie’s initially frightening injury, the aggravation of the knee injury of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers came to light. Rodgers finished the game and is expected to play in Week 5.

“I’m feeling a little banged up,” Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Oct. 1. “Took some shots, knee is a little swollen but just kinda wear and tear, Week 4.”

Rodgers tore his Achilles a year earlier in Week 1 and missed the season, again part of the long list of notable injuries on the Metlife Stadium artificial turf. Parsons (high ankle sprain), Nabers (concussion), Badie, and Rodgers were all injured at Metlife on the same weekend. It might sound alarming, but fans in the stadium have witnessed as many significant injuries in just one game.

That happened in 2020 during a game between the Jets and San Francisco 49ers when defensive ends Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas tore ACLs. Former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo sustained an ankle injury, and then-Niners running back Raheem Mostert tore his MCL. Mostert raised his voice years later in 2023 when his Miami Dolphins teammate Jaelan Phillips tore his Achilles at Metlife.

“It’s tough, especially playing on this turf,” Mostert told reporters in November 2023. “No player wants to go down with a significant injury.” You saw what happened with Rodgers. Very first game in the first series.

“We’ve got to do something about this turf and this playing surface because, obviously, it’s still a major problem even with trying to figure out what we can do. It just has to change.”

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell called for a change to grass for MetLife and all stadiums after the 2023 Rodgers injury. Following a joint committee study with the league, the NFLPA released a stronger statement on the issues.

“As we have said repeatedly,” the statement read via ESPN in February, “injury data in a one-year time capsule does not account for what we have known since we started tracking these injuries: that a well-maintained, consistent grass surface is still simply safer for players than any synthetic field.

“The story of last year’s injury data is that, unfortunately, injury rates on grass have increased from last year. The data cannot, however, account for what players have shared with the NFL for years: that we feel much worse after playing on synthetic surfaces and overwhelmingly prefer consistent, high-quality grass fields.”

Despite the calls for change, it hasn’t happened, and Metlife Stadium’s casualty list may only grow. And Metlife isn’t alone as Rodgers pointed out in a November 2023 appearance on the “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“There’s a lot worse places than MetLife, I can promise that,” Rodgers said.

The NFL currently has 15 stadiums with artificial turf.