3 NFL Teams Supporting Change To California's Worker Laws

Three NFL teams are supporting changes to California's worker compensation laws, ahead of the start of the 2026 regular season.

California is proposing changes to worker compensation. There is a proposed bill that would change worker compensation laws, making things harder for athletes, among others. California has pretty high premiums for worker compensation. The NFLPA, meanwhile, opposes the proposed changes.

"The NFL Players Association strongly opposes California SB 795, which would significantly restrict professional athletes' access to the workers' compensation system," the NFLPA said Friday. "This bill targets our players, stripping them of the constitutional rights and legal protections afforded to every other worker in the state.

"As employees in a high-risk profession, NFL players rely on workers' compensation as a critical protection. In fact, the cost of these benefits is already paid by our players out of their collectively bargained share of league revenue. By advancing this latest anti-player legislation, California's professional sports teams are seeking to evade that system for financial gain, denying injured athletes the care they are owed.

"We will not accept a system that carves professional athletes out of hard-earned worker protections. Our union urges lawmakers to reject SB 795 and stand with the players who make the game possible."

However, while the NFLPA opposes the proposed changes, three of the NFL franchises in the state are supportive of it.

Three NFL teams are supporting the changes

According to Pro Football Talk, three NFL teams in the state are showing support for the proposed changes.

"The NFL teams headquartered in the state - the Rams, the Chargers, and the 49ers - support the bill," PFT reported.

"Although neither the NFL nor any of the California-based teams have made a public statement in that regard, the sponsor of the bill (Senator Laura Richardson) has indicated in a summary of the proposed legislation that the NFL and the three California teams support it."

An interesting tension between the NFL teams and the NFLPA could be developing.

Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 9:00 AM.