Goodell Addresses Concerns over Grass Field, Travel, QB Injuries Before Ravens vs. Cowboys in Brazil

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed a number of topics about the 2026 season during a sit-down interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, including the league's decision to play Sunday's Week 3 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens in Brazil.

The field conditions Maracanã Stadium have been a particular talking point after National Football League Players Association executive director JC Tretter raised concerns on social media.

"The complaints that you've heard were for the soccer players that were playing on the field," Goodell said (2:55 mark). "They have a different barometer, a different standard. Theirs is about the ball rolling smoothly on a grass field. That's not what our issue is. Our issue is stability and proper footing. And they are two different things. We saw that in the World Cup."

He also said the league has worked with the NFLPA to make more consistent playing surfaces across the league, whether fields be grass or turf.

Still, Tretter addressed the Brazil game and said "based on our experts' assessment, the field needed better traction and stability.

"... The NFL has been clear they want to continue to grow the game internationally. However, growth alone cannot be the goal. The goal has to be growing the game while maintaining the standards our players deserve. If we can't do both, then we need to make different decisions."

Sunday's game will already be the second international one of the season, as the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams started the campaign in Australia.

Goodell also addressed travel concerns both leading up to and after the international games.

"We're looking for input. What are the important things? When we were in Australia a couple of weeks ago, we spent a lot of time talking about that," he said (4:17 mark). "… So all of this is something you're learning as we go and you're trying to understand what's the best way to prepare for the game and the best way to recover, which is a big factor. We've played in Brazil before, this is our third year.

"… We're learning more. When we play in Europe, a lot of times the teams from the West Coast play on the East Coast and then go over. I think we've been able to do that effectively, but you can always get better at it."

Both the Rams and 49ers won their Week 2 games after the Australia trip, although Los Angeles' victory over the New York Giants was largely defined by Jaxson Dart's injury.

His setback was one of a handful of injuries for quarterbacks through the first two weeks, as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Sam Darnold have also been sidelined.

"You never like to see that," Goodell said (9:43 mark). "This is one of the reasons we focus so much on player safety. You want those guys, and they want to be out there to compete. … We probably get a lot of criticism that we protect the quarterbacks too much.

"But I think there's a dynamic there where the players are in defenseless positions, and that's been our focus whether you're a quarterback or a receiver or any other position, that's the area that we've always focused on. What do you do to make sure they're protected?"

He explained he believes quarterbacks can better understand when they are running they lose many of those protections granted to them in the pocket.

Still, injuries have been a defining storyline in the early going this season, as a number of high-profile teams are already turning to their backups.

Baltimore and Dallas will both have their starters in Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott available Sunday, but the playing surface figures to be a talking point leading up to and throughout the contest.