The Washington Spirit are committed to keeping free agent forward Trinity Rodman on the team and are continuing to work with the National Women’s Soccer League and Rodman’s representation despite the turbulent turn the negotiations took last week, the team’s leadership said Tuesday.
Haley Carter, the team’s president of soccer operations, and general manager Nathan Minion said the negotiations with Rodman and the league continue and that there is no real deadline. Rather than being discouraged, both feel all the parties are working to come up with a solution.
鈥淚 think the league is committed to working with us, and we鈥檙e committed to working with them through that, and with it is kind of a lot of back and forth. So it鈥檚 just a continual process, and that鈥檚 why I say we鈥檙e having probably daily conversations with them, trying to figure this out and trying to get a resolution that can hopefully keep Trinity here with us for a long time,鈥� Minion said as he and Carter spoke to reporters for the first time since with the Spirit.
The league last week rejected a multiyear contract offer the Spirit extended to Rodman. In response, the NWSL Players Association that maintained the contract Rodman agreed to was consistent with the collective bargaining agreement and league rules and said the NWSL’s rejection violated Rodman’s free agency rights.
At the heart of the issue is the NWSL鈥檚 salary cap, which is $3.5 million for each team for the 2026 season, although it will rise each year until it hits . Rodman, one of the NWSL鈥檚 biggest stars who also won with the United States at the Paris Olympics, has been drawing interest from European teams that don’t have the same salary restrictions.
The union did not provide specifics about the offer to Rodman, but said the compensation structure fits within the projected team salary cap and was calculated to include team revenue share. The NWSLPA also said the league can increase the base salary cap in any given year.
NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has repeatedly said her desire is for Rodman to remain playing in the U.S. pro league.
鈥淥ur goal is to ensure that the very best players in the world, including Trinity, continue to call this league home. We will continue to do everything we can, utilizing every lever available within our rules to keep Trinity Rodman here,鈥� the league said in a statement.
Carter suggested the NWSL needs to rethink the salary cap if it wants to attract and maintain top talent.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a holistic conversation that鈥檚 going on around the potential for league level solutions. The reality is our current salary cap structure, it was built for a different era of women鈥檚 soccer. This is a global game, and as the sport continues to grow globally and international clubs (like) the Chelseas, the Arsenals, are increasing their investment, we鈥檙e going to need mechanisms that allow NWSL clubs to compete for not only players from overseas, but our own players, and being able to retain them,鈥� Carter said. 鈥淲e are going to have to start getting creative, I believe, because it鈥檚 bigger than just one team. It鈥檚 bigger than just one player. It鈥檚 about the league鈥檚 ability to keep its best players in this league as we continue to grow. 鈥�
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