New York Jets Home Stadium Gets Staggering Climate Change Report

An exhaustive study ranked the climate change risk to each NFL stadium and the New York Jets’ home finished in an unenviable spot.

Fans find their seats in the stands and on the field during the Giants Fan Fest, celebrating 100 seasons, at MetLife Stadium on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

MetLife Stadium is more than a decade old and it’s already hosted some of the biggest events in sports.

It hosted Super Bowl XLVIII and is set to host multiple matches during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including both championship matches.

With a capacity of 80,000, it’s inviting to the sports world, along with its current tenants, the New York Jets and the New York Giants.

But, in the event of significant climate change, no NFL stadium may suffer more than MetLife.

A recent study by Climate X assessed the climate change vulnerability of each NFL stadium. The study received a boost in publicity after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The stadium is now unusable and it’s unclear where the Rays will play their 2025 home games.

The Climate X report ranked each NFL stadium based on several potential hazards related to climate change, including flooding, wildfires and storm surge. With those hazards the report also projected the cost of damages and compared them to the stadium’s current replacement value.

MetLife came up ranked first, which isn’t a good thing in this case. Per CNBC, which broke down the report’s findings:

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets, is projected to incur the biggest losses. Climate X projects a total percentage loss of 184%, with cumulative damages exceeding $5.6 billion by 2050 due to the stadium’s low elevation in the marshy Meadowlands and exposure to flooding and storm surge.

MetLife was built for $1.6 billion.

Another relatively new stadium, Sofi Stadium, home to the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, came up second. It was built for $5 billion. State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., the home of the Arizona Cardinals, was ranked the third-most vulnerable.

Before MetLife opened, the Jets and Giants played in Giants Stadium, which was built in the same area in East Rutherford, N.J. That facility opened in 1976 and closed in 2009 after which the two teams moved into the new stadium.

The two teams used to play at baseball stadiums before moving to New Jersey. The Giants played at the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium, along with a short stint at the Yale Bowl in the mid-1970s. The Jets also played at the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium.