MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) has approved a $1.3 million project for new artificial turf at U.S. Bank Stadium to be installed before the 2024 season, putting the Vikings on track to play on a surface the NFL has assessed as less of an injury risk than the venue's current field.
The state agency finalized the cost at its regular meeting Thursday. The slit film turf that was installed in 2019 will be torn up early next year and replaced by a monofilament surface that data from both the league and players union has determined to be safer and the most like natural grass.
The NFL Players Association has called for all stadiums to switch to grass due to catastrophic injuries the union blames on bad turf.
When Minnesota played Kansas City at U.S. Bank Stadium on Oct. 8, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (hamstring) and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (ankle) - two of the league's most prolific and featured players - were each injured when they slipped on the turf.
Jefferson only recently returned from his hamstring injury after missing seven games.
The Detroit Lions, New York Giants and New York Jets are teams whose stadiums have recently replaced the slit film turf. The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals are the only clubs left currently playing on that surface.
There's certainly no guarantee of injury prevention, though, with the new turf. The Miami Dolphins recently criticized the new surface at MetLife Stadium after linebacker Jaelen Phillips tore an Achilles tendon.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist: