Jerry Jones responds as CeeDee Lamb pleads with Cowboys to keep AT&T Stadium’s World Cup change for NFL

A revolution within the Dallas Cowboys could be on the cards.

Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb wants to see a major change at their home kept after the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Getty

AT&T Stadium, ranked as the best stadium in the 2026 World Cup, will be hosting nine games at the upcoming tournament and they have had to comply with FIFA’s strict rules.

The venue, which will be rebranded as Dallas Stadium for the tournament, currently uses turf during the NFL season, but the team will change it to natural grass for the World Cup.

According to NBC’s Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate, no expense has been spared to get the surface up to FIFA’s standards. 

The grass was grown in Colorado, an irrigation system was installed, and pink lights to boost healthy growth.

The effort has totaled roughly 45,000 man-hours and 15,000 tons of shipped materials.

On Instagram over the weekend, Dallas’ star receiver re-posted a poll that said 92% of NFL players prefer grass over turf.

Lamb tagged the league itself, writing: “please? @nfl.”

When it comes to the NFL’s long-running grass-versus-turf debate, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has traditionally leaned toward turf fields. 

But that does not necessarily mean everyone within the Cowboys organization shares the same view, especially when player safety comes up.

The debate has existed around the NFL for years, gaining major traction after Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon just four snaps into his debut season with the New York Jets back in 2023.

Jerry Jones responds to Lamb’s request

Lamb’s push, and the fact that the consensus around the NFL is that players don’t want to play on turf, caught Jones’ attention.

Getty

Getty

The Cowboys owner was quick to make his stance very clear.

“We have more flexibility with the way we handle our surface at the stadium,” Jones said, via ProFootball Talk.

“We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on grass. 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 benefit. So I’m working for you, baby, if you’re a player.

“I’m very comfortable putting some grass down for soccer under regulations and proud to be able to do it, but quickly getting the turf back there to get back to the other business of the stadium and the team.”

The current active player Collective Bargaining Agreement was ratified in March 2020 and runs through the 2030 season.

Getty

The reality for Lamb and his teammates is that a permanent shift won’t happen in Dallas unless the Collective Bargaining Agreement forces the league’s hand.

With the current active player CBA locked in through the conclusion of the 2030 season, Jones and fellow turf-owning billionaires hold all the cards.

Stay up to date with the MLB across all our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET