The Washington Spirit have reportedly had their four-year multimillion-dollar contract extension for Trinity Rodman rejected by the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Rodman is currently on an expiring contract at the Spirit and is at risk of leaving the NWSL.
According to Bloomberg, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman vetoed the proposed contract.
What did the Washington Spirit offer Trinity Rodman?
The Washington Spirit contract offer for Trinity Rodman, reportedly rejected by the NWSL, averaged more than $1 million per year over four years.
Rodman would have been paid more in the final two years of the deal.
The current media-rights deal for the NWSL expires in 2027, and it was hoped that an increased media-rights deal would help contribute to those costs.
Why did the NWSL reject the contract offer for Rodman?
It is claimed that Jessica Berman and the NWSL felt the contract’s structure violated the spirit of league rules.
The NWSL operated with a $3.5m salary cap during the 2025 season. However, by 2029, when Rodman’s proposed extension would have ended, the cap is projected to rise to $4.9m.
Berman previously insisted the NWSL would fight to keep Rodman following a major offer from DC Power in the rival Gainbridge Super League.
This was supported by a statement from a league spokesperson on Wednesday night, as per Bloomberg.
The league spokesperson reportedly said: “Our goal is to ensure that the very best players in the world, including Trinity, continue to call this league home. We will do everything we can, utilising every lever available within our rules to keep Trinity Rodman here.”
While other top leagues, such as the Women’s Super League, don’t currently operate with a salary cap, Berman believes it is important to keep parity across the NWSL.
She previously said: “We want any team to be able to win any game. It’s important not just for the players to know that they’ll need to show up and compete, but it’s important for our business.
“No one wants to buy tickets to a game where you know the outcome before it starts and we want our fans, every single year when the schedule comes out, to believe that their team can win the championship or their team can win the Shield, and without a salary cap, that can’t be true, so we have to know that.”
Interest in Rodman
Rodman has received a contract offer from DC Power in the Gainbridge Super League, and several European giants are also monitoring the situation.
The daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman has previously said she hopes to play overseas at some point in her career.
She told ESPN’s Futbol W that it was just a “matter of when” over a potential move outside of the United States.
Clubs in the WSL are believed to be interested, while the likes of Barcelona and Lyon could also enter the race, particularly as Rodman has expressed a desire to one day play in the Women’s Champions League.
