SAN JOSE, Calif. -- NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said Thursday that the NWSL is prepared to do what it takes to keep Washington Spirit and United States forward Trinity Rodman in the league.
"We want Trinity in our league and we will fight for her," Berman said in her annual State of the League address.
ESPN reported last Saturday that Rodman has received multiple offers from England. A source with knowledge of the contract talks concerning Rodman confirmed to ESPN that the Spirit forward also has an offer on the table from a team in the USL Super League that is worth far more than what the NWSL can match.
The highest known annual salary in the NWSL is for Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Wilson, which she signed in March of 2024.
Rodman told reporters on Thursday that she will decide on her future after Saturday's NWSL Championship, where the Spirit play Gotham FC.
"Genuinely speaking, I've made no decisions," Rodman said. "Yeah, there could be conversations being had, but right now I am so excited to be representing the Spirit. I'm not even thinking of when my last game will be. I just want to win it and then we'll see."
The push to sign Rodman comes amid a broader discussion about increasing the NWSL salary cap. There is concern that the salary cap is resulting in some of the league's top players leaving the NWSL for clubs abroad, especially in England and France.
The NWSL raised the cap earlier this year by $200,000 per team to a total of $3.5 million for each team. That follows increases to the cap in each of the past four seasons, with Berman noting that the cap has almost quadrupled in the past four years. But Berman, while expressing a desire to raise the salary cap, was noncommittal about whether that would happen for the 2026 season.
"We do not believe the NWSL is a charity," she said. "We believe it is a business, and in order to treat it like a business, it means that the amount that our teams are investing has to have a rational relationship to revenue.
"And so when we go through that process of reviewing the overall ecosystem and the value proposition that we're offering to top talent and to our players, and we're looking at the amount being invested in training facilities, in stadiums, in compensation for players, we have to look at it in the context of where our business is at."
Berman also stressed that compensation is only one factor in why players choose the NWSL. The level of competition, the quality of club infrastructure -- including training facilities and stadiums -- and the standard of coaching are all additional criteria players weigh alongside pay.
"When you look at those four Cs as we call them -- competition, compensation, club [infrastructure] and coaching -- we believe that we are putting forth a very compelling value proposition to be able to attract, retain and develop top talent."
Rodman said moments after Berman's comments about being willing to "fight" for her that she appreciated those words, but that she was trying not to think too much about the situation.
"I started and got drafted in this league," Rodman said. "So, it's created such an amazing soccer player in myself. It's brought out a lot of things. I've learned a lot. This league has grown every single year, so obviously I'm honored to have her say that.
"Obviously, just really happy about that, but at the same time, I don't want to put that pressure on myself of like, because she said that I'm like, 'Oh shoot, I'm trapped' [laughs]. But again, I'm focused on this weekend and that's really all I can focus on. And then moving forward, then that's when I really have those conversations and tough calls that I have."
Spirit goalkeeper Kaylie Collins, who is one of the team's player representatives with the NWSLPA, expressed support for raising the salary cap.
"I think personally and across the PA, we've really homed in on the fact that in order to compete, that is really the only option," Collins said. "I think we're looking at a lot of things right now where obviously there's a lot of competition and I think the league has constantly said that we want to be the best league in the world, and in order to do that, there's really only one option. I think we're really seeing that this year."
Rodman has only played a handful of minutes in the playoffs as she works her way back from a knee injury she suffered in a Concacaf W Champions Cup match in October.
ESPN writer Jeff Kassouf contributed to this report.