Aaron Rodgers wrecked his Achilles at same place 49ers called ‘trash’

For the 49ers, it all started at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where they suffered a catastrophic run of injuries in 2020. Nick Bosa tore his ACL there that fall and is still bitter about it. 

“I really think FieldTurf is a problem in the NFL,” Bosa told Sports Illustrated in a story published last year. “And the turf I played on in New York was brand new. It was super soft, and apparently, they rolled a cement roller over it twice after the game because we had two ACLs and a bunch of other injuries on it,” he said, referring to injuries suffered by then-49ers Solomon Thomas (ACL) and Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle). “So I think if the NFL cared about our safety at all, then we’d all play on grass like top soccer teams do. So that’s kinda BS to me.” 

On Monday night, Jets QB Aaron Rodgers blew out his Achilles on the same field. Multiple reports confirmed Tuesday morning that the catastrophic injury Rodgers suffered was a torn Achilles, ending his season and potentially his career. 

Before the season, the Jets and Giants installed new turf, but that’s still not the real grass that players insist is safer.

Rodgers’ former Green Bay teammate David Bakhtiari was more pointed. “How many more players have to get hurt on ARTIFICIAL TURF?!,” he wrote. “You care more about soccer players than us. You plan to remove all artificial turf for the World Cup coming up. So clearly it’s feasible. I’m sick of this..Do better!” Bakhtiari is referring to the fact that FIFA mandates real grass for the World Cup, which several NFL stadiums — including MetLife — are hosting when the soccer tournament comes to North America in 2026. Levi’s Stadium is also hosting World Cup games, but it already has a natural surface that George Kittle has called “the nicest grass in the NFL.”

Even if the cost of grass is five or 10 times what York says it is, that’s a sliver of what owners spend on players annually. This year’s salary cap is $224 million. It would only seem logical for owners to protect their investments so they don’t end up in a situation like the Jets are in now. But the players want them to do it, and so it seems like the owners would rather draw out a negotiation than keep their most valuable assets safe.