Trinity Rodman may have the highest salary in women's soccer, but there's a catch

Last January, 23-year-old superstar forward Trinity Rodman signed a deal with the Washington Spirit from the National Women’s Soccer League (“NWSL”). Although women’s soccer salaries are not public knowledge, ESPN and BBC, along with other sources, indicate that Rodman could be earning $2 million USD annually for three years, and even more by achieving certain bonuses set out in her new deal. According to Rodman’s agent, Mike Senkowski, this deal will make Rodman the world’s highest-paid female soccer player. This new deal is a significant win for women’s soccer as it raises the ceiling on how much women’s soccer players can earn, especially in the NWSL, which has a salary cap that limits how much teams can spend on their players. But there’s a problem.

Rodman’s new deal may not be “legal” in the first place.

The Context

In order to understand the rest of this, some context has to be provided regarding Rodman’s importance for the NWSL. In 2021, Trinity Rodman was drafted second by the Washington Spirit at 19 years old, straight out of high school. As a rookie, Rodman helped the Spirit to its first-ever NWSL championship and was named NWSL Rookie of the Year, and soon after, she received a four-year $1.1 million deal that made her the league’s highest-paid player at the time. In five seasons in the NWSL, Rodman was named NWSL Best XI twice, a distinction awarded to the 11 best NWSL players each season. Furthermore, Rodman was a marketable star in the league, which meant that she brought more viewers to the NWSL. When Rodman’s deal expired at the end of 2025, the NWSL was worried that Rodman would depart to play in Europe, which would likely damage NWSL viewership.

Rodman’s incentive to move to Europe would be to earn a higher salary than she otherwise would have earned in the NWSL. The United States’ NWSL, similar to other American sports leagues, has a formal salary cap. Women’s soccer leagues in Europe, such as England’s Women’s Super League (“WSL”) and Spain’s Liga F, do not have formal salary caps. While there are some rules around finances and spending for the WSL and Liga F, women’s soccer teams in Europe can generally spend more on players than teams in the NWSL due to the NWSL’s restrictive salary cap. In a sport where women are generally paid less than men, prominent soccer players in the NWSL have signed deals with European teams because they may not have many opportunities to make as much money elsewhere. In the last couple of years, notable players such as Alyssa Thompson, Naomi Girma, and Emily Fox have all left the NWSL for Europe.

The Rodman Rule

Realizing the risk Rodman going to Europe poses for the NWSL, the NWSL created the High Impact Player (“HIP”) rule, which has been dubbed by the soccer community as the “Rodman Rule.” The Rodman Rule means that teams may exceed the NWSL’s established salary cap by up to $1 million for “high impact players.” To be a “high impact player,” the player must meet one of the many criteria set out by the NWSL. I will not list all of them here, but Trinity Rodman met five of the eight criteria mentioned in NWSL’s press release on the Rodman Rule, and the only reason she does not meet six criteria instead is because one of the criteria is exclusively for goalkeepers.

The rule was created to reduce the likelihood that NWSL’s best players depart to Europe when their current contract ends. From one point of view, this can be seen as a positive rule, since this rule increases the amount of money women can earn in the NWSL. But from another point of view, this seems like a rule that strictly benefits the already soon-to-be wealthier players in the NWSL, while the less wealthier players do not benefit from the potential increased salary.

The NWSL’s Players Association (“PA”) seems to hold the view of the latter. In early January of this year, the PA filed a formal grievance and alleged that the NWSL's implementation of the Rodman rule violates the NWSL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”) as well as federal labour law. Specifically, Section 8.16 of the CBA states that “NWSL may in its discretion, after consultation with the NWSLPA, reduce or eliminate the Salary Cap charge against the Team Salary Cap for certain roster classifications.” NWSL’s press release on the Rodman Rule states that the NWSL followed this, but the PA disagrees on this matter, particularly on what “consultation” actually means.

In the eyes of the PA, the NWSL’s implementation of the Rodman Rule is beyond the league’s authority, and it must be something that is collectively bargained, not merely just a consultation. The PA seeks the rescission of the Rodman Rule, and in place of the Rule, the PA requests that the salary cap be raised by $1 million, with no qualifications needed at all.

What Next?

Good question, unknown reader!  Even if this grievance enters arbitration and the arbitrator does order the rescission of the Rodman Rule, I find it hard to believe that Rodman’s contract would become void. By the time a decision is made, Rodman would have already begun playing for the Spirit under her new contract. It is more likely that Rodman’s contract would not be voided, but rather the NWSL may have to pay the costs for implementing the Rodman Rule in the place of the Spirit, which relied on the Rodman Rule to sign Rodman in the first place. Alternatively, the Rodman Rule may be deemed to be within the NWSL’s authority, meaning there is absolutely nothing to worry about for the NWSL.

Regardless of the result, all eyes will be on Trinity Rodman this season as she continues to build on her impressive career.