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Trinity Rodman has secured a $2 million-a-year deal with the Washington Spirit, making her the highest-paid female player in the history of the game. The three-year agreement, which runs through 2028, ends Rodman’s brief period of free agency that began on New Year’s Eve. The 23-year-old star is now set to earn a package that sets a new financial benchmark for professional women's football globally.
Her agent, Mike Senkowski, told ESPN the deal will make Rodman the highest-paid female footballer in the world.
"It feels amazing. I'm very happy. I'm very blessed," Rodman said.
"I think it's a monumental and game-changing moment right now. I can't even describe in words what it feels like."
Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati, winner of the Ballon d'Or in 2023, 2024 and 2025, was reportedly the highest-earning female player before Rodman's deal.
In 2025 the salary cap for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was $3.5m per team. But the NWSL board of governors approved a new 'High Impact Player' rule in December, which allowed teams to spend up to $1m (£760,000) over the cap on players that meet certain criteria.
"Trinity is a generational player, but more importantly she represents the future of this club and the future of women's soccer," said Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang.
Rodman helped Spirit win the NWSL Championship in her debut season in 2021 and was named the NWSL Rookie of the Year. She has won 47 caps for the USA, scoring 11 goals since her debut in 2022.
She scored three goals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the USA won gold.
The future of Rodman was of great interest to Europe's most successful clubs with the potential to pick up a world-class player in the free market.
Serial Women's Super League winners Chelsea were one of the clubs monitoring her situation and were willing to pounce if the solution for Rodman from the NWSL had fallen through. It has been an unprecedented situation in the US with the league and Washington Spirit battling through legalities to try to keep one of their best talents.
At the age of 23, Rodman is not the best player in the world, but she has the potential to become that and would undoubtedly be a significant loss to the NWSL had they not managed to keep her.
