Friday night’s World Cup match between the United States and Paraguay looked great. Most of the images from the 4-1 U.S. win didn’t look anything like the stadium in which it was played.
But it was indeed SoFi Stadium. With rich, lush, naturally green grass.
“Wonder if we could get that all season,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said on Twitter.
Although the 49ers’ annual visit to their home away from home to play the Rams won’t happen this year (they’ll square off in Australia), the 49ers will be at SoFi Stadium to play the Chargers in Week 15, for a Thursday night game.
Friday night’s soccer match showed what SoFi could be, what it would be, if Rams owner Stan Kroenke were to embrace grass.
But he won’t. It costs too much money to maintain a high-quality grass field. It complicates the effort to have all sorts of other events at the venue.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made that point earlier this year, regarding his no-questions-asked willingness to install grass at AT&T Stadium for the World Cup.
“We have more flexibility with the way we handle our surface at the stadium,” Jones said at the annual meetings in Phoenix, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on a grass [field] or a turf. We are ambiguous as to the safety of it. The turf, actually like many things, improves the economics of being able to play this game and our players are the biggest benefactor of all. They get the best benefit of when we do good things financially, the players are benefiting. So I’m working for you, baby, OK, if you’re a player.
“And so the combination of that, I’m very comfortable putting some grass down for soccer under regulations and proud to be able to do it but quickly get that turf back out there to go about the other business of the stadium and the team.”
The safety narrative is a weak one. The NFL has muddied the issue by focusing on the statistical claim that the injury rate is the same on grass as it is on turf. This ignores player experience beyond the question of actual injuries. The human body takes less wear and tear when the forces it creates are absorbed by a grass field than when the forces ricochet back into the feet and up through the legs.
Besides, how does Jerry Jones hosting a bunch of other events in a football stadium benefit the football players on the Cowboys? At best, it gives him more money to pay players. In a salary-capped environment, however, who cares? The TV money and the ticket revenue from the football games gives owners more than enough money to finance the roster.
The simple reality is that the overwhelming majority of players — 92 percent — prefer grass.
“I’m going into year 10, and I can say wholeheartedly that grass feels way better than turf,” Giants offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor recently said, via Rohan Nadkarni of NBC News. “With MetLife getting grass, obviously it’s cool for FIFA and the World Cup. It’s one of the biggest stages in the world but, at the same time, the NFL as a whole is one of the most profitable businesses in the world, and so you would think that us as players would have a say in the fields that we get to play on.”
The players do have a say. In an environment of collective bargaining, however, they need to be willing to give something up to get something else. When the original artificial turf — a thin sheet of green all-weather carpet rolled over concrete — began to proliferate, the NFL Players Association allowed it. The owners secured the discretion to choose the playing surface without any real pushback.
Now that the pushback is happening, the only path for making high-quality grass universal comes from bargaining for it. And, if need be, going on strike to get it.
It all comes back to the fundamental imbalance between management and labor in pro football. The owners will shut the sport down to get what they want. The players won’t.
If the choice is football on artificial turf or no football at all, the players will choose football on artificial turf. And the owners will ignore the P.R. complications flowing from the hypocrisy of writing a blank check for FIFA, because at the end of the day it’s all just words. Until the words are backed up by actions, nothing will change.
Hell, Jones probably likes the fact that the grass vs. turf debate exists. His view is that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. And so, on top of the fact that Jones and other owners make more money from staging their teams’ games on turf, the organic debate over an inorganic playing surface becomes another twist in the ultimate reality show.
And it’s a twist with no stakes. Unless and until the NFLPA is willing to do something other than create public pressure at which the owners won’t even blink, the back-and-forth over turf vs. grass will be nothing but noise.
So that’s the real question. Will the players simply talk about their preference for grass or, when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 2031, will they do something about it?
Given that most of the men who’ll be playing pro football in 2031 are currently in college or high school, it’s way too early to know the choice they’ll make. History, however, tells us that the decision between playing on artificial turf and not playing at all will be a no-brainer.
In the interim, is it possible that the players could emerge from talks over an expanded season with universal grass fields? Yes. To get there, however, they may have to be willing to go not from 17 regular-season games to 18 but from 17 to 20.
Chargers Clips
When the U.S. faces Paraguay on Friday, attendees will have no issues when it comes to buying a beer or a hot dog.
Via the Associated Press, the union representing roughly 2,000 SoFi Stadium workers announced Tuesday that a deal has been struck to avoid a strike during the World Cup.
Union members, who recently voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, will vote Wednesday on the ratification of the agreement.
The agreement includes higher wages and protections against the subcontracting of union work.
SoFi Stadium will host eight of the matches in the upcoming international soccer tournament. The labor peace also will extend to Rams and Chargers’ home games.
More than 90 percent of the players selected in the 2026 NFL draft have signed their rookie contracts. Among the players who remain unsigned, there are two big clusters, at the top of the third round and the top of the fourth round.
The first six players drafted in the third round are still unsigned: Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck, Broncos defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim, Raiders defensive end Keyron Crawford, Eagles tackle Markel Bell, Bears tight end Sam Roush and 49ers edge rusher Romello Height.
The first seven players drafted in the fourth round are also unsigned: Raiders cornerback Jermond McCoy, Bills tackle Jude Bowry, Jets defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr., Cardinals defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor, Chargers wide receiver Brenen Thompson, Texans guard Febechi Nwaiwu and 49ers defensive tackle Gracen Halton.
Those 13 players make up the majority of the 2026 draft picks who haven’t signed their rookie contracts yet.
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said on the team’s YouTube show that high third and fourth-round picks are encouraged by the players’ union to ask for contract provisions that the players in the previous round are getting.
“A lot of years it was the third round took forever,” Beane said. “The union is constantly trying to push down everything from the second round into the third round, and then the third round to make the fourth round better. In this CBA it feels like the fourth round has become more difficult.”
Beane said he understand why Bowry’s agent doesn’t want him to sign until he sees what other fourth-round picks can get, but he thinks it will work itself out before training camp.
“Sometimes agents are a little afraid to do something if the guy in front of them hasn’t done it,” Beane said. “They don’t want to look bad. It’s all recruiting. Jude’s been great. Until it’s done it’s not done, but we’re optimistic.”
A handful of first- and second-round picks also remain unsigned. Every player picked in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds has signed.
The NFL Players Association “strongly opposes” the proposed changes to the California workers’ compensation laws, which would limit the rights of professional athletes. The NFL teams headquartered in the state — the Rams, the Chargers, and the 49ers — support the bill.
Although neither the NFL nor any of the California-based teams have made a public statement in that regard, the sponsor of the bill (Senator Laura Richardson) has indicated in a summary of the proposed legislation that the NFL and the three California teams support it.
She also states that Major League Baseball (including the L.A. Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, and the Sacramento A’s), the NHL (including the L.A. Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, and the San Jose Sharks), the Premiere Lacrosse League, the Women’s Lacrosse League, Major League Soccer, and the ECHL support the bill.
Neither the NBA nor any of its California-based teams (the L.A. Lakers, the L.A. Clippers, and the Golden State Warriors) are identified by Richardson as supporting the bill.
The NFLPA has separately sent to players and certified agents an email regarding the potential impacts of the legislation.
The emails, obtained by PFT, explain that the bill “would greatly change how NFL players access benefits for career-related injuries, particularly cumulative trauma claims.”
The bill, per the NFLPA, “narrows the ability to file claims tied to long-term, career-related wear and tear — one of the primary avenues for players seeking coverage.” It also imposes "[t]ighter eligibility for California claims,” by redefining “what qualifies as a California-based team, limiting when and where players can bring claims in the state.”
The NFLPA contends that the bill shifts “liability away from clubs and increases the likelihood that players bear a greater share of injury-related medical costs,” and that it applies “a narrower set of circumstances . . . to a player’s final California team, reducing flexibility in pursuing benefits.”
The bill, per the NFLPA, also applies retroactively “to active and pending claims that have not yet been finalized, introducing risk for clients who have already filed or are in process.”
This is at least the third time an effort has commenced to change the California workers’ compensation laws to the detriment of professional athletes.
As to the NFL, the costs for workers’ compensation insurance are currently baked into the Collective Bargaining Agreement. And it’s possible that supporting the changes constitutes an effort by the NFL to circumvent the CBA.
In that regard, the union should perhaps push for a clear commitment in the next CBA that the NFL will not support any efforts to restrict players’ rights under the workers’ compensation laws in any states where the NFL does business.
The Chargers have agreed to a contract with their top pick in this year’s draft.
Edge rusher Akheem Mesidor’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN that their client has agreed to terms with the Chargers. The 22nd overall pick will make over $20.45 million over four years and the Chargers hold a fifth-year option on the contract.
Mesidor had 12.5 sacks during his final season at Miami and had 13.5 over his previous three seasons. One of those years was cut short by foot injuries and Mesidor also played two seasons at West Virginia earlier in his collegiate run.
Fourth-round pick Brenen Thompson is now the only Chargers pick yet to agree to a contract with the team.
Justin Herbert is overhauling his footwork, as offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel tries to get the Chargers quarterback to speed up his release.
Herbert didn’t throw a football in Tuesday’s OTA practice. Instead, he used a weighted free ball for footwork drills while working through his throwing motion. He said he expects to do that one day a week into the season.
“I thought it was helpful for my footwork just to be able . . . not to have to worry about throwing the ball right now,” Herbert said, via Kris Rhim of ESPN. “Mechanically, it’s a little different timing. . . . He wants the ball out early. We feel like that is going to help us get the ball out quicker.”
McDaniel’s offense requires anticipation, something Herbert is working hard to improve on.
“We really emphasized the first couple of weeks of just getting the ball out as quick as possible,” Herbert said. “Almost getting to a point where the receivers haven’t looked back for it yet, and that just allows them to catch the ball with maximum ability to turn upfield and have time before a defender gets to them.”
Herbert was the most hit and pressured quarterback last season, as Pro Bowl tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt played a combined six games. Herbert, though, took responsibility for some of the hits and pressures, saying he held the ball too long at times.
Herbert expects to be better at getting the ball out quicker this season, because of McDaniel’s approach.
“I think he’s just got a great feel for the game and I think he understands how defenses are ever changing and it’s his goal to be able to take away the pass rush,” Herbert said. “If you’re getting the ball out quickly, there’s really nothing they can do about it.”
They have to install playing surfaces that meet exacting standards. They have to change the names of the facilities. They have to shut down all other business (such as major concerts) for the duration of the World Cup.
Given the hoops through which the 11 NFL stadiums will have to jump in order to placate FIFA, it’s fair to ask whether it’s worth it.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe recently took a look at that question. Said an NFL official from a team that won’t be hosting any of the World Cup games, “I know more than a few teams weren’t disappointed to lose the bid.”
That could be sour grapes, because those who won the right to host the matches are crowing about it.
“Can’t sleep,” Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones said recently, per Volin. “This is a great chance to associate with the worldwide love with soccer, and lets us put a little notch on our belt and share it with what soccer’s about, too. They’ll never be able to take away that we held those games in that stadium.”
Cowboys executive Stephen Jones echoed the sentiment: “We’ll be shut down all summer. But it’s worth it. I mean, this is about brand and, you know, being a part of something special.”
The Joneses wanted to host the matches badly enough to give up their suite for the matches.
“I think I’ve got to go someplace else, but that was a part of it,” Jerry Jones said. “We did a lot of things to make this work.”
The Cowboys, Patriots, Falcons, Texans, Chargers/Rams, Giants/Jets, Chiefs, Seahawks, 49ers, Dolphins, and Eagles will be hosting World Cup games in their stadiums.
The total revenue is projected, per Volin, to be roughly $11 billion. FIFA will pay rent for the stadiums, while keeping the revenue from sponsorships, tickets, suites, merchandise, concessions, and parking.
So how much will the teams get for hosting the World Cup? Per Volin, the terms “have been kept under wraps.”
Given that folks like Jones are not known for doing bad deals, they’ll surely be making more money to host the World Cup matches than they would have made in a normal summer.
Still, it’s a headache. Extra work, extra expenses, extra hassles.
Not to mention the P.R. bruise that comes from the perception/reality that NFL owners who are giving FIFA the surfaces it demands while stubbornly refusing to do the same for pro football players.
Veteran edge rusher Joey Bosa is one of the top players remaining on the free agent market.
The question is: Does he want to continue his career? If he does, Bosa will have options.
His brother, 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, seems to have doubts about how much Joey Bosa wants to play an 11th season.
“I think he’s working on his golf game right now,” Nick Bosa said Thursday, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “So, I don’t think he’s thinking too much about football.”
The 49ers finished with an NFL-low 20 sacks last season, with Nick Bosa tearing the ACL in his right knee in Week 3. Nick Bosa is back, and Kyle Shanahan addressed whether Joey Bosa might join his brother in San Francisco this season.
“I look at our team as kind of we have our team, and anyone else that we can figure out to bring, especially someone like that, that would be awesome,” Shanahan said. “But that stuff’s not always possible.”
Joey Bosa, who turns 31 in July, has not had a double-digit sack season since 2021. The five-time Pro Bowler has only 19 across the past four seasons, including five in 2025.
Chargers safety Derwin James has reason to celebrate this week, but it’s not the kind of celebration that he’s most interested in experiencing at this point in his career.
James signed a three-year extension this week that makes him the highest-paid safety in the league. That contract reflects James’s many individual accomplishments since joining the Chargers as a 2018 first-round pick, but his versatile contributions to the team’s defense have not resulted in great team success.
The Chargers have made the playoffs four times since James entered the league and they’ve won one playoff game. During a Wednesday press conference, James pivoted from discussing his new deal to discussing his desire to change that record.
“Honestly, I want to win, win the Super Bowl so bad, man, so coming out here and just working, working, working hard as I can every day, and I feel like that’s what I’m so focused on,” James said, via Dan Greenspan of the Associated Press. “The money’s good, yeah, it’s good, but I can’t get my thoughts off being the last team playing.”
The Chargers obviously think James can help them achieve their own goal of winning a championship and they’ll now have at least three years beyond 2026 to try to make it happen.
The Chargers have given safety Derwin James another new contract. And he has absolutely earned it.
A first-round pick in 2018, James was entering the last year of his second deal. He was due to make $17.5 million. That money gets added to the three new years, for a four-year contract that runs through 2029.
Here are the full details of the contract, per a source with knowledge of the terms.
1. Signing bonus: $12 million.
2. 2026 90-man roster bonus: $3 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2026 base salary: $11.5 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2027 base salary: $17.5 million, fully guaranteed.
5. 2028 base salary: $24.6 million, $13.5 million of which is guaranteed for injury at signing. That amount becomes fully guaranteed in March 2027.
6. 2029 90-man roster bonus: $3 million.
7. 2029 base salary: $21.5 million.
It’s a simple, clean deal. The first two years — at a payout of $44 million — are fully guaranteed at signing. The $13.5 million guarantee in 2028 is fully guaranteed as a practical matter, given the very low chance that the Chargers would cut James after one year and a total obligation of $44 million.
The new money average of the three new years is $25.2 million. The total average of the four-year package from signing is $23.275 million.
