Caleb Williams Just Weighed In On A Highly Sensitive Issue Between The NFL And Players

Nobody needs to be a detective to realize there is tension between the National Football League and its players. They don’t feel the NFL has their best interests at heart, particularly when it comes to player safety. This comes from two points of contention. First is the ongoing efforts by owners to expand the schedule. Already, the league managed to push it from 16 games to 17 games. Now it’s largely believed owners will push for 18 in the near future. That alone has players angry. Yet perhaps the bigger point of contention is that of playing surfaces. It’s become more apparent in recent years that the league’s love affair with artificial turf continues to cause way more injuries than necessary, leading many to call for a push for all-grass fields. This is an issue Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is now behind.

San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle voiced player displeasure expressed player displeasure with the league’s stance on this, especially after several owners openly allowed FIFA to sod multiple stadiums with natural grass after they had artificial turf. He takes this as a sign that the NFL cares more about the safety of soccer players than players in its own league. Players who are in a far more physically violent sport. Make it make sense. Williams agrees.

Caleb Williams knows this issue may soon affect him.

Right now, he has the good fortune of playing on a natural grass turf at Soldier Field. However, that will likely soon change once the Bears move into their new stadium a few years down the road. That stadium, as most domes do, will have artificial turf. That means more potential knee and Achilles injuries, along with more concussions from hitting the ground. Nothing kills a season faster than losing key players to injuries. Preventing that is at the top of the players’ priority list.

Don’t be fooled. The NFL will try to talk its way around the problem with word salads. This is all about money. A grass field can cost a team upwards of $3 million per year to maintain. By contrast, an artificial turf won’t cost more than $500,000. To owners, this is a simple business calculation. Easy to say when it’s not their bodies being put on the line. Don’t forget the NFL made an estimated $23 billion in revenue last year. It would cost them $96 million annually at most to put grass fields in every stadium.

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That is the equivalent of the yearly salaries of Will Anderson Jr. and Micah Parsons. By themselves. There is no way the league can’t afford it.

There is a strong possibility that this issue only gets worse.

Both sides have maintained a clear stance on it for years. The players want grass. Owners don’t want to change anything. It feels like this will become a serious point of contention in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement a few years from now. The current one expires in 2031. Owners will want 18 games. Players will want grass fields. It will be interesting to see if negotiations revolve around those two issues. If it gets bad enough, there could be a lockout or strike.

No doubt Caleb Williams, who will turn 31 that year, hopes to extend his career for as long as possible. A great way to do that is by easing the amount of punishment his body takes every time he hits the deck. Grass absorbs falls far better than turf. That is why it makes sense he’d have an opinion on the matter. Obviously, as a younger player, he must be careful about how much he says. A few years from now when he’s a veteran and, hopefully, a star? That voice may get louder.