One of the most dramatic contract sagas in NWSL history has finally ended.
The Washington Spirit announced on Thursday that star forward Trinity Rodman has re-signed with the team through the 2028 season.
Rodman’s agent told ESPN that the new deal worth more than $1 million per year makes her the highest-paid player in league history and highest-paid female player in the world.
The 23-year-old had been a free agent since her contract expired at the end of 2025. Her return to the NWSL is a significant coup for the league, with multiple European clubs recently reported to be interested in the U.S women’s national team star.
But the Spirit have secured their franchise player, and the NWSL has retained one of the faces of the league amid a period in which several USWNT players have left for Europe.
“I’ve made the DMV my home and the Spirit my family, and I knew this was where I wanted to enter the next chapter of my career,” said Rodman.
“I’m proud of what we’ve built since my rookie season, and I’m excited about where this club is headed. We’re chasing championships and raising the standard, and I can’t wait to keep doing that with my teammates and the best fans in the NWSL.”
The Spirit and Rodman agreed to a multi-year deal last month, but NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman intervened to cancel the star forward’s contract.
According to Bloomberg, Berman rejected the deal because it ‘violated the spirit of the league’ while The Athletic reported that the NWSL believed the contract violated league rules.
The NWSL’s solution to keep Rodman and other star players from leaving for Europe was the High Impact Player rule, which was announced last month.
But the new initiative has proven hugely controversial. The NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) filed a formal grievance earlier this month with the intention of abolishing the rule entirely.
The Spirit selected Rodman second overall in the 2021 NWSL Draft. At 18, she became the youngest player to be drafted into the league at the time.
Rodman burst onto the scene in the NWSL, winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award and helping the Spirit to the 2021 NWSL title.
In her five years in the NWSL, Rodman has been named to the NWSL Best XI two times and the Second XI once.
Rodman has also emerged as a fixture with the USWNT, scoring 11 goals in 47 caps and helping the team win a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics.
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