The NFL Players Association is weighing whether to push for grass fields at all stadiums as a top priority in its next round of collective bargaining with the league, according to a union source. The move comes after the FIFA World Cup left several American NFL stadiums with newly installed natural grass, only for venues to already begin reverting to synthetic turf, a change players view as unwelcome given long-standing concerns that turf contributes to more injuries than grass.

No final decision has been made on whether grass fields will become a formal bargaining demand, but the union is said to be seriously considering it for future negotiations. Any such requirement would likely carry a cost, whether financial, logistical, or through trade-offs elsewhere in negotiations with the league, meaning players and their union would need to weigh the benefits of safer playing surfaces against what they might have to give up to secure them.