Trinity Rodman has signed a three-year contract with the Washington Spirit, making her the world’s highest-paid female football player, her agent announced.
The 23-year-old, daughter of former NBA player Dennis Rodman, has been a free agent since her previous contract with the Spirit terminated on December 31.
Rodman’s new deal, worth a reputed $2 million (£1.5 million) each year including bonuses, will keep her at Spirit until 2028.
Rodman’s representative, Mike Senkowski, told ESPN that the deal will make her the highest-paid female player 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.”
Prior to Rodman’s signing, Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2023, 2024, and 2025, was considered the highest-paid female player.
In 2025, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) salary cap was $3.5 million (£2.6 million) per team.
However, the NWSL board of governors approved a new ‘High Impact Player’ rule in December, allowing teams to spend up to $1 million (£760,000) beyond the cap on players who met specific requirements.
“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 rookie season in 2021 and was voted the league’s Rookie of the Year.
She has 47 caps for the USA and 11 goals since her debut in 2022.
She scored three goals during the 2024 Paris Olympics, as the United States won gold.
Dennis Rodman won five NBA titles with the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls.
Rodman’s future piqued the curiosity of Europe’s most successful clubs, who saw an opportunity to acquire a world-class player on the free market.
Chelsea, a serial Women’s Super League winner, was one of the clubs monitoring her situation and ready to pounce if Rodman’s NWSL solution fell through.
It’s been a unique situation in the United States, with the league and the Washington Spirit fighting legal battles to keep one of its greatest players.
Rodman is not the finest player in the world at the age of 23, but she has the potential to be, and her absence would surely be a huge loss to the NWSL.
Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson, both from the United States, have left for Chelsea, and midfielder Sam Coffey joined Manchester City in January.
The NWSL had long led the way in women’s football, but the WSL and Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil are now among those spending heavily on player transfers and pay.
Barcelona boasts two players who have won the past five Ballon d’Or honors, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, but the team is facing financial difficulties.
Kang, a US billionaire and multi-club owner, is investing substantially in her clubs—Lyon, Washington, and London City Lionesses—which means that pay will only rise across the global women’s football landscape.
