Raiders star Jakob Johnson has sharply criticised the artificial turf at MetLife Stadium in New York following Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury.

The general state of shock in the NFL is still evident a few days after Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in his debut for the New York Jets.

In the joint podcast “What happens in Vegas” with Christoph “Icke” Dommisch, fullback Jakob Johnson of the Las Vegas Raiders expressed clear criticism of the turf at MetLife Stadium in New York, where the star quarterback suffered the injury.

“MetLife Turf is such a story, we had it last year. It’s one of the most injury-prone stadiums in the NFL,” the 28-year-old pointed out.

“You can always get injured, we play full-contact sports. That’s what this game is all about – dealing contact and taking it. The risk of injury is always there,” the former New England Patriots player explained, but made it clear:

“But if the framework clearly tells you, this is where you’re scientifically most likely to get an injury that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with contact, then it’s a shame and nonsensical that it’s not changed. “

Understandable for Johnson to use artificial turf in NFL

Why artificial turf is still being used in the NFL at all doesn’t make sense to the Raiders star.

After all, numerous stadiums are already being converted to natural grass for the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

“We have the scientific research, the numbers are clear,” Johnson made no excuses: “If there’s enough money to put an entire football team on a golf course for a week, there’s enough money to replace the turf.”

Why those responsible in New York don’t act is beyond the Stuttgart native’s comprehension: “It’s possible, the technology is there. We played in Denver in November and the turf there was 1A. That means you can’t tell me that in green New York, where it really rains enough, you can’t just put a turf like that in a stadium. “

Rodgers buddy Bakhtiari calls for elimination of artificial turf fields in NFL

Rodgers longtime teammate with the Green Bay Packers, David Bakhtiari, was already blowing up on social media shortly after the four-time MVP suffered the injury.

“WTF!!!! This injury is court related. Can we stop this shit already?” the 31-year-old expressed clear criticism of the pitch in the “Big Apple” on “X” (formerly Twitter).

“How many more players have to get injured on artificial turf! They care more about the football players than us. They are planning to remove all artificial pitches for the upcoming World Cup. So it’s obviously doable. I’m fed up with it… Do better!” the left tackle vented his displeasure.