Trinity Rodman Just Became the Highest-Paid Women's Soccer Player Ever
Making history and she’s only 23.
After a long and contentious period in contract limbo, Trinity Rodman just signed a new three-year deal with the Washington Spirit, keeping her stateside and making history as the highest-paid women’s soccer player of all time. The 23-year-old was the main character of the current women’s soccer transfer window, with rumors linking her to clubs in England and France as the NWSL scrambled to keep the American superstar on home turf. Though the offers were tempting, it was clear she wanted to stay in the place where it all began, and she changed the game in the process.
According to her agent, Rodman’s new contract will see her bring in over $1 million per year, making her the highest paid female player not only in the league, but in the world. A few months ago, that wouldn’t be possible, but a star like Rodman is one that the league couldn’t do without.
Like other professional American sports leagues, the NWSL has a salary cap, made to keep teams on equal footing with each other and prevent an overload of top talent across a handful of clubs due to financial ability. In theory, it is a great idea, preventing the disparities you see in other leagues. In reality, with the exponential growth of women’s soccer in the United States and worldwide, it is a slightly antiquated concept.
The salary cap would not allow Rodman to get the pay she deserves while staying at the club she loves, and when her contract expired at the end of the 2025 season, it was crunch time for the NWSL. Implementing the High Impact Player Rule, also coined the “Rodman Rule,” the league created a caveat to the salary cap allowing clubs to spend up to $1 million extra for players that reach the criteria.
Though the new rule has received backlash due to the categorization of “High Impact Players,” it is probably the biggest thing that has happened to the NWSL in recent years, allowing them to compete with other leagues for top players and retain their own. She’s only 23, but the influence Rodman has made on Washington Spirit and the league as a whole has been apparent every day since she joined the club at 18. If anyone is high impact, it’s her, and she’s not done building her legacy in Washington, D.C. just yet.
In other news, the NWSL and Dead Dirt just dropped a knitwear collection.
