Trinity Rodman is now the highest-paid women's soccer player in the world

Trinity Rodman is now the highest-paid women's soccer player in the world originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Trinity Rodman has officially put pen to paper, ending months of uncertainty with a record-setting agreement that keeps her with the Washington Spirit through 2028.

Trinity Rodman is now reportedly the highest-paid women's soccer player in the world.

The 23-year-old forward signed a three-year deal with the Washington Spirit, where she started her career, valued at an estimated $2 million per year, when counting in bonuses.

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The United States forward signed a new three-year contract worth more than $2 million per year, including bonuses, according to multiple reports. The deal makes Rodman the highest-paid player in NWSL history and, per her agent Mike Senkowski, the highest-paid women’s soccer player in the world. The announcement was made at an event in Los Angeles alongside Spirit owner Michele Kang and club executives, while Rodman continues training with the USWNT.

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“It feels amazing. I’m very happy, I’m very blessed,” Rodman said after signing. “I think it’s a monumental and game-changing moment right now.” She added that the deal aligns with her long-term vision, calling it “perfect timing with the World Cup happening in the U.S.”

The agreement closes a chaotic chapter that began when Rodman’s previous contract expired on Dec. 31. Despite being the league’s most recognizable star, she entered the offseason without a deal, fueling speculation that she could leave the National Women's Soccer League entirely. Sources indicated that top clubs abroad — particularly in England — had made lucrative offers that Washington could not match under the league’s salary cap, which stood at $3.5 million per team in 2025.

In late November, Rodman and the Spirit reportedly reached a creative four-year agreement that would have averaged more than $1 million per season. That proposal was later rejected by the league, with commissioner Jessica Berman ruling that it violated league rules. The NWSL also accused Rodman of attempting to circumvent the cap, prompting the NWSL Players Association to file a grievance on her behalf, calling the intervention a violation of the collective bargaining agreement.

As the standoff intensified, the league’s board of governors approved a new High Impact Player (HIP) rule in December, allowing teams to exceed the salary cap by up to $1 million for certain star players. Spirit president of soccer operations Haley Carter confirmed that Rodman’s new contract benefited from the implementation of that rule.

“Not only me personally but all of us at the Spirit are profoundly grateful that she has chosen to stay with us,” Kang said, referencing the “very compelling alternatives” Rodman had elsewhere.

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Rodman, drafted second overall by Washington in 2021, helped deliver the club’s first NWSL championship as a rookie and has remained its centerpiece ever since.