With six months remaining in the calendar year, NWSL players who are nearing the end of their contract are now permitted to begin negotiations with new teams and sign pre-contracts for 2027. June 30 marked the deadline for teams to exercise existing contract options for next season, after which the league and NWSL Players Association released the list of players who are eligible to become free agents at the end of the year.
Seattle Reign FC announced that the club and forward Brittany Ratcliffe have exercised her mutual option for 2027, while the team also signed goalkeeper Neeku Purcell to a new multi-year contract which keeps her in Seattle through 2028. The club also extended midfielder Ruby Hladek’s short-term contract through the end of August, which keeps a roster spot available for Lynn Biyendolo’s potential late summer return from maternity leave.
As of now, seven Reign players will be out of contract at the end of the year and can begin discussions with other clubs for next season, both within the NWSL and elsewhere. The list includes goalkeeper Cassie Miller; defenders Ryanne Brown, Shae Holmes, Emily Mason and Phoebe McClernon; midfielder Jess Fishlock; and forward Maddie Mercado.
Mason held a mutual option for 2027 and Mercado had a player option that was not exercised, while the other players are coming to the end of their contracts. Fishlock has already announced her intention to retire at the end of the season but is still included in the league list should she opt to extend her career.
The Reign are also able to continue negotiating with these players and could announce new contracts at any point. While a few teams have put out press releases indicating which of their impending free agents they are still negotiating with, at the time of publication the Reign are not among them. We will update this story if and when more information is available.
Around the league, 127 players are currently eligible to become free agents on January 1, with some notable names including Rose Lavelle, Sophia Wilson, Debinha, Abby Dahlkemper, Sarah Gorden, Ann-Katrin Berger, Angelina, Hal Hershfelt, Leicy Santos, and Andi Sullivan. As with the Reign free agents, some are expected to re-sign with their existing teams, but the next few months will undoubtedly see some high-profile moves to new teams.
In addition to the start of 2027 free agent signings, the summer transfer window opens on July 14 for more immediate roster upgrades.
