Trinity Rodman isn’t going anywhere.
The U.S. women’s national team superstar forward is re-signing with the Washington Spirit, agreeing to a new three-year deal with the NWSL club. The team made the announcement at an event at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“She’s not just a soccer player,” Spirit owner Michele Kang said during the event. “She’s the blueprint.”
Financial details were not disclosed, though Rodman will reportedly become the highest-paid player in the league and the highest-paid female player in the world. Rodman’s previous four-year deal with the Spirit – worth $1.1 million that made her the league’s highest-paid player at the time – expired on Dec. 31.
“This is a game-changing moment right now,” Rodman said at the event. “I can’t even describe in words what it feels like. Everyone is going to have their different thoughts or opinions about it, but I’ve never really cared. I’ve always had a vision and an idea of what I want my legacy to be and continue to be.
“This is just opening opportunities for American girls with dreams, and I am one and was one of them. I’m just very grateful about that. And it’s perfect timing with the World Cup happening in the U.S., too.”
What’s next for Rodman and the Spirit?
(Photo by Erin Chang/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
This is massive for the Spirit as Rodman is the biggest star in the NWSL, and her popularity will only keep growing. There was legitimate interest from clubs overseas, and Rodman has stated publicly that she has a desire to play abroad someday. So it’s quite an achievement for everyone involved.
There were a few hang-ups that prevented this deal from coming together sooner though. For one, the Spirit reportedly could not match the multimillion-dollar offers coming from overseas due to the NWSL’s salary cap, which was $3.5 million per team in 2025.
In November, the Spirit made Rodman a lucrative offer that the NWSL reportedly declined. This prompted the NWSL Players Association to file a grievance on Rodman’s behalf, arguing the league was violating the CBA.
Long story short, this all ultimately led to the NWSL’s board of governors approving a new High Impact Player rule, which allows teams to exceed the league’s salary cap by up to $1 million for star players who meet certain criteria outlined here. The rule goes into effect on July 1, but teams can start utilizing it now. While it hasn’t been publicly admitted, the rule was fast-tracked to keep Rodman in the league.
Kang confirmed during Thursday’s event that the HIP rule was used for Rodman’s new contract.
“Our goal was to make sure Trin stays with us and the NWSL,” Kang said. “That was 100% the focus.”
Kang said the Spirit worked closely with the league and that they were trying to figure out how to retain Rodman “for more than a year.” And Haley Carter, the Spirit’s president of soccer operations, said “there were a lot of sleepless nights to make sure everything was compliant with the new [HIP] rule.”
As for Rodman, who has played her entire professional career with the Spirit, the 23-year-old gushed about how important the club and its fans are to her. She helped the team win a NWSL championship in 2021, and the Spirit were title runners-up the last two years. With Rodman returning, the team is certainly in a window of opportunity to win it all again.
While there’s still plenty of time left in her career to play in Europe, now just isn’t the right moment.
“There’s so much more I have to give,” Rodman said.
What’s next for the NWSL?
(Photo by Scott Taetsch/NWSL via Getty Images)
The league can breathe a sigh of relief.
Keeping Rodman in the NWSL is critical for a league that has lost some big-time players over the last year or so. USA stars like forward Alyssa Thompson and defender Naomi Girma left the NWSL last year to play for Chelsea, while defender Emily Fox has been with Arsenal. Most recently, midfielder Sam Coffey signed with Manchester City.
But just last week, the NWSL received huge news when USA captain Lindsey Heaps announced she would be returning to the U.S. to play for expansion team Denver Summit FC in her hometown.
Perhaps now, especially with the new rule, this will be a trend. Maybe more soccer stars will consider staying stateside or choose to play in the NWSL instead of Europe in the future.
“This is a monumental moment, not only for the Spirit, but for the NWSL as well,” Kang said.
What’s next for the USA?
(Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Nothing changes here. Actually, this event was held in L.A. because Rodman is currently in training camp with the national team ahead of two matches on Jan. 24 vs. Paraguay and Jan. 27 vs. Chile.
Rodman, who dealt with injuries for the better part of 2025, has not made an appearance for Emma Hayes’ team since April 2025 when she scored the winning goal in a 2-0 win over Brazil. But she’s healthy now and the goal is to keep it that way. Especially because this is an important time with the 2027 World Cup in Brazil on the horizon and qualifying happening later this year.
As it pertains more directly to Rodman’s new contract, there is a detail in the HIP rule criteria that benefits players who earn minutes with the national team, though Hayes has said that will not influence her decision-making.
In What’s Next?, we look ahead at the potential impact of trades, hires, signings and more.
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