George Kittle attended Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium. FIFA’s temporary natural grass installation had replaced the venue’s usual turf for the tournament. He didn’t just enjoy the match, though. Instead, he turned it into a direct appeal to his league.
“Grass looks great at MetLife!” Kittle wrote on X Sunday, tagging the NFL directly. Can we keep it that way, @NFL? Would appreciate it, thanks.” He posted a follow-up later in the match: “Grass still looks fantastic!” Let’s use grass instead of turf, @NFL!! Please? Thanks, guys!”
Two posts, same message, growing more direct each time. That’s not a passing remark from a fan account. Rather, that’s a starting NFL tight end using his platform deliberately, during his league’s offseason, to lobby for a surface change.
#worththecost pic.twitter.com/UxVcFc4lr2
— Caleb Williams (@CALEBcsw) July 17, 2026
Similarly, Caleb Williams posted his take on the grass-versus-turf debate. It captures the same frustration Kittle and Hall are voicing, tagged with the “#worththecost” hashtag that’s become shorthand for the players’ side of the argument.
Hall’s Endorsement
Kittle’s second post drew a one-word reply from Jets running back Breece Hall. Hall plays his home games at MetLife Stadium. “PLEASE,” he wrote in a quote post on X.
Hall’s word choice is significant here. After all, he isn’t commenting on a stadium three time zones from his locker room. MetLife is his workplace. So when the World Cup grass comes out and the turf goes back in, he’s the one cutting and planting on it every Sunday, from September through January.
The NFL’s Response and Player Preferences
The numbers back up what Kittle and Hall are saying. Specifically, an NFLPA survey found that 92% of NFL players prefer playing on natural grass over synthetic turf. That’s not a slim majority. In fact, that’s close to unanimous.
Furthermore, Kittle and Hall aren’t operating alone. Multiple players, including Caleb Williams, Laremy Tunsil, and Patrick Queen, have posted grass-field content using the “#worththecost” hashtag recently.
Here’s the tension, though: the league doesn’t appear ready to act on it. For instance, turf stadiums that installed grass for the World Cup, including AT&T Stadium and Gillette Stadium, have already begun removing that grass to re-lay turf ahead of the 2026 NFL season. So the infrastructure exists. The player preference exists too. Yet the NFL is choosing turf anyway.
Currently, just 15 of the league’s 30 stadiums use grass. That means half the league already made the switch players are asking for, while the other half hasn’t. Meanwhile, Soldier Field, one of the grass venues, sits in that same conversation, especially as the Bears weigh a future domed stadium and whether a natural surface survives the transition. It’s worth watching how NFL Teams by Conference: AFC vs NFC Guide for 2026 breaks down which conference leans more turf-heavy, since the split isn’t even across the league.
Fantasy and Injury Angle
This isn’t just a comfort preference. Surface type affects injury rates. And injury rates, in turn, affect fantasy rosters. For example, a soft-tissue strain on turf can cost a starting running back four to six weeks. That’s the exact kind of absence that wrecks a fantasy lineup mid-season. Notably, Hall himself has dealt with lower-body injuries before. That’s partly why “PLEASE” carries real weight coming from him specifically, not just as general Jets sentiment.
Therefore, skill players who log heavy snap counts on turf-heavy schedules are worth monitoring in dynasty and redraft leagues alike. If the league eventually moves toward more grass installations, it could also shift how teams manage workload for players returning from soft-tissue injuries.
Additionally, the broader context connects to other players making similar noise. Bears QB Caleb Williams Joins NFL Player Push for Grass Surfaces, showing the issue isn’t isolated to two players at one World Cup match. Instead, it’s a growing chorus across multiple teams. And with Steelers Eye International Game in 2026 NFL Series Expansion, Stadium surface standards will only matter more as the league keeps staging games on unfamiliar international fields.
Meanwhile, none of this happens in a vacuum. The Jets’ offseason has already been eventful. See What Geno Smith’s Assault Allegation Means for the Jets’ 2026 Season for more. So MetLife Stadium’s surface debate adds another storyline to a franchise already under scrutiny. And for historical perspective on how player advocacy has shaped the league before, NFL All-Time Touchdown Leaders: Complete Rankings shows how surface and scheme shifts over the decades have moved offensive production.
Ultimately, Kittle’s tag and Hall’s one-word reply won’t force owners to rip out turf by September. But 92% player agreement is the kind of number that eventually forces a conversation ownership can’t dodge. So watch whether the NFLPA pushes this formally into the next round of stadium standard negotiations.
