Trinity Rodman becomes the NWSLs highest-paid

Trinity Rodman has re-signed with the Washington Spirit, ending a months-long saga that led the NWSL to modify its wage cap guidelines in order to retain one of its largest stars.

Financial particulars of the three-year contract weren’t launched, but ESPN experiences that the deal is price more than $2 million yearly, including bonuses, making Rodman the highest-paid athlete in NWSL historical past.

In a news release, the Spirit described the deal as “one of the most significant contracts in the NWSL and the women’s game worldwide.”

“I think I’ve always had a vision and an idea of what I wanted my legacy to be,” Rodman said at an event saying her new deal Thursday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. “And for me, we’re doing that and I’m so grateful for that.”

Rodman is at the moment training with the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team in Carson. At age 18, she was chosen No. 2 total by Washington in the 2021 draft. Rodman went on to win the league’s rookie of the yr award and report the game-winning help in additional time during the NWSL championship recreation that season.

In 2024 and 2025, Rodman helped the Spirit return to the championship recreation.

“Getting drafted here and developing and maturing and learning — and failing — at the Spirit, in D.C., it’s become so much of my legacy and my story,” Rodman said. “But on top of that, I still feel like there’s so much more I have to give and so much more that I want to do.”

Rodman’s initial contract with Washington expired on Dec. 31, making her a free agent. A gold medal winner for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Rodman was rumored to be getting curiosity from European groups that don’t have the same wage restrictions.

“I can’t think of the Washington Spirit without her,” Spirit proprietor Michele Kang said at Thursday’s event in L.A. “And I hope she can’t think about her career without the Washington Spirit. So this is really monumental and it was really important, not only for the Spirit, especially for our fans who expect to see her. They come to Audi Field and that’s where Rowdy Audi clearly came out.”

Lakers legend Magic Johnson, a minority stakeholder in the Spirit, called Rodman’s re-signing a “big win for the entire National Women’s Soccer League!”

“Michele and the Spirit leadership spoke about the vision for the franchise, creating sustainable success, implementing innovation and being a standard bearer for women’s sports,” Johnson wrote on X following Thursday’s event. “Keeping Trinity as a Spirit player was a big step to fulfilling that vision. I want to congratulate the entire Spirit organization for getting the deal done! I know our incredible fan base is as excited as I am.”

Rodman and the Spirit had beforehand reached an settlement on a four-year, multimillion-dollar contract in early December. That deal was rejected by the NWSL as being against the spirit of the league’s wage cap, which is set at $3.5 million for each staff for the 2026 season and will rise each yr until hitting $5.1 million in 2030.

The NWSL Players Assn. filed a grievance against the league for nixing the contract settlement, alleging that the transfer violated the collective bargaining settlement.

Weeks later, the league adopted a “High Impact Player” rule permitting groups to spend up to $1 million over the wage cap for star gamers that meet sure standards. The union also has filed a grievance over that rule, claiming that the league shouldn’t be allowed to “unilaterally create a new pay structure.”

Spirit president of soccer operations Haley Carter says the “High Impact Player” rule figured into Rodman’s new contract and that neither NWSLPA grievance would alter the deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.