The new salary cap roster mechanism that the NWSL was voting on has officially been approved. With this latest move, the league can now offer those deemed as “high impact players” a salary that goes above the cap established in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The salary cap resolution will allow teams to spend up to an extra $1 million to entice top stars with only a partial hit to the cap, and the player's salary would need to be 12% of the team's total cap before funds can be used. However, the NWSLPA still has to consult on the ruling and also give its approval.
The NWSL's salary cap, set at $3.5 million per team, is what was keeping the league from offering players like Trinity Rodman and others of her caliber a deal that could financially rival the ones they are receiving from overseas. The rumors surrounding Rodman's potential to leave the league for a European club initiated the front office's desire to find a way to circumvent the cap and offer competitive contracts.
“[I] always thought about playing overseas at some point in my career,” Rodman told ESPN earlier in 2025. “It's just a matter of when.”
However, Spirit president of soccer operations Haley Carter expressed that the NWSL's motivation to make the move is about more than just keeping Rodman.
“Trinity is sort of the impetus for this, but this isn't just about one player. We've already lost multiple players this year in two transfer windows overseas for massive transfer fees,” Carter explained on Tuesday. “So it's really about retaining those athletes, building a roster that can compete sustainably, keeping our best players, attracting even more elite talent, and also creating an environment where world-class athletes want to be.”
The NWSL set the guidelines for who can be named a “high impact player,” requiring sporting and commercial benchmarks like appearing on Best XI or Ballon d'Or lists and earning minutes with the US Women's National Team in recent years.
