For months, the women’s soccer world has been preoccupied by a single question: Where would Trinity Rodman go next? At just 23, the Washington Spirit forward has firmly established herself as one of the best players on the planet, building a rabid fanbase through her vlogs, tunnel fits, game-winning goals, and signature pink braids. But given the NWSL’s salary cap limitations—in 2025, teams were allowed to spend a maximum of $3.5 million on players—it seemed all but certain that Rodman would have to leave America for more lucrative pastures in Europe.
That officially changed yesterday afternoon, when Rodman announced at a press conference that she had signed a historic deal to remain on home soil with the Spirit. The arrangement—a reported three-year contract worth over $2 million annually, including bonuses, making Rodman the highest-paid women’s soccer player on the planet—was made possible by the league’s newly-introduced High Impact Player Rule, which allows teams to subvert the salary cap for certain players. After years of watching homegrown stars like Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma head overseas for bigger paychecks, Rodman’s deal is largely considered a win for American soccer—though it’s also proved controversial with the NWSL’s players union, which has filed a grievance over the new rule.
Not long after making the announcement, Rodman logged onto Zoom to chat with me, still wearing the elegant Willy Chavarria suit and Adidas kicks she wore during the press conference. In conversation, she’s fearless in exhibiting her emotions, showing love liberally, laughing often, and being open about her insecurities. Rodman is more herself than most people you’ll meet in your lifetime. She spoke to GQ about the things that make her so: her name, being in the driver’s seat of her own life, her willingness to dress boldly, and advocating for the next generation of female athletes.
GQ: You just made a huge announcement. You just made history. And you just made a lot of fans absolutely ecstatic. How does it feel knowing that you’re responsible for all of that?
Trinity Rodman: It feels great. I’m very happy that I’ve finally actually signed the papers, and we’re ready to go. I can’t wait to fall asleep tonight. But it’s been an amazing day, amazing few weeks, and now gonna be an amazing few years.
There are so many people involved with that, but I’m happy that I am the player they’re willing to take that chance on. And a role model for the youngins; kinda setting a standard for what other players should be striving for and should be moving toward. Hopefully, this isn’t the end, and there are a lot more opportunities for me, but for other players as well.
And then maybe world peace.
[Laughs.] Maybe world peace is next!
Your achievements are already too copious to even list here, but you’re an NWSL champion, CONCACAF W Gold Cup, and SheBelieves Cup champion. You’re an Olympic gold medalist. Rookie of the Year. A top-five player in the world. Do you feel like you’ve ticked your professional boxes, especially doing that in your home country?
World Cup champions would be the next for sure. But yeah, in terms of individual achievements, I’m not chasing anything, and I don’t think I ever have. Just ’cause you kinda put it in your brain, and then if you don’t achieve it, you disappoint yourself a lot. So I try to keep the individual stuff to a minimum and focus on just the team. The fun stuff of “oh yeah, let’s win some games, guys!” So that’s what it’s been, and I’m really happy about that. And no, no more pressure added for me.
In your presser, you got pretty emotional, and it got me thinking, like you were just saying, we’re always chasing the next thing, and I’m glad you don’t feel the pressure to do that. So what would you consider to be your top three proudest moments?
I would say my rookie season as a whole, not even like my first goal or even the championship assist, like it’s not those key moments. It’s what created that moment. It was the whole year of the ups and downs, the failures, the cry sessions, the not believing in myself, the insecurities. Seeing myself now, it’s worth it.
Two would be the story behind the Olympic goal that I scored, the big one. Even in that game, I was very insecure and not playing well at all. Our team wasn’t performing well. The 119 minutes or whatever it was, I was second-guessing myself in every single action. And then having that moment again is a story behind a moment.
