NFL players' push for grass should grow stronger after Jamal Adams MetLife Stadium injury

NFL players have been making a strong push for the league's 32 stadiums to all move to natural grass, and that push should only get louder and stronger following the preseason injury to Minnesota Vikings linebacker/defensive back Jamal Adams on Saturday.

Adams had to be carted off the field at MetLife Stadium in their game against the New York Giants after suffering what appeared to be a noncontact leg injury. 

The fact that it happened at MetLife Stadium, on one of the league's most maligned playing surfaces, is what should really get the attention of players and the NFLPA. 

Especially given the context of the past few months. 

Jamal Adams injury should make NFL players' call for grass fields even louder

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell gave a bleak assessment of the injury during a halftime interview on the TV broadcast.

"You're just crushed for him," coach Kevin O'Connell said on the television broadcast. "The role that he was kind of paving for himself, and then just having a personality and experienced toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time. We're going to miss him and we're going to need to see some guys here step up. But what I told Jamal is our organization, we've got our arms around him. And he's a part of this thing. But you absolutely hate to see that."

None of that sounds promising. 

The calls for grass fields really started to get rolling this summer when several NFL stadiums, including those in New York, New England, Dallas and Atlanta, had to replace their artificial playing surfaces with grass fields in order to host the 2026 World Cup.

But as soon as the World Cup concluded, the grass was removed and all of those stadiums went back to their artificial surfaces.

This angered a good number of players around the league, citing the potential injury risks that come with playing on artificial fields.

Especially as it relates to noncontact leg injuries. 

While there are a lot of natural grass playing surfaces around the league, there are several teams that have been unwilling to make the investment in grass, largely because it costs more to maintain. Especially in harsh winter environments in the north. 

The most notorious field in the NFL is the one at MetLife Stadium, which plays host to the Giants and New York Jets. It is consistently rated by players, both for the New York teams and opponents, as one of the worst in the NFL. While there is no official data that makes it appear to be any more unsafe than other fields, there is a clear belief among players that it's a problem.

Even if the injury history of MetLife isn't as consistently bad as its reputation, studies do show that turf field in general causes more injuries, and especially leg injuries, than natural grass.

Because MetLife is home to two teams, in the largest media market in the country, and seems to be in the spotlight more than other stadiums, something like Adams' injury (and any other injury to a high-profile player) is going to stand out.

Especially when it happens in the first preseason game of the season.

Right after a natural grass playing surface was removed to go back to an artificial surface. 

Adams signed with the Vikings this offseason after spending the 2025 season as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. He began his career with the Jets, before eventually being traded to the Seattle Seahawks. He has been a Pro Bowl-caliber player at his peak, but injuries have been a problem for him in recent years.