Trinity Rodman Is Now Soccer's Highest Paid Female Player

Trinity Rodman is staying put in Washington—and resetting the pay scale for female soccer players while she's at it. The 23-year-old signed a three-year deal with the NWSL's Washington Spirit that runs through 2028 and is worth more than $2 million per year including bonuses, reports ESPN. Her agent says that makes Rodman, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, not only the highest-paid player in league history, but the top-paid women's player in the world, surpassing Barcelona star Aitana Bonmatí.

"It feels amazing, I'm very happy, I'm very blessed," Rodman said. "I think this is just opening up opportunities for American girls with dreams, and I'm one and was one of them, and so I'm very grateful about that." Rodman's deal caps a months-long standoff that exposed tension over the pay structure of the National Women's Soccer League. Teams have a $3.5 million salary cap, but a new "High Impact Player" rule allows teams to spend up to $1 million over the cap on players that meet the definition, per the BBC. (The players' union has challenged owners' right to create this new pay structure without negotiations, but it remains in place for now.)

The outcome carries weight beyond one player. The NWSL has recently watched US standouts Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma head to Chelsea and Sam Coffey move to Manchester City. Losing Rodman—a 2021 NWSL champion with Washington and a face of the US national team's next generation—would have deepened concern about talent leaving for Europe.