The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) offseason is here. The transfer window hasn't quite been lit up just yet. Business is certainly expected to heat up once the international transfer window opens on Jan. 1.
For now, the biggest deals we have seen have been in free agency. With two new expansion teams, Boston Legacy and Denver Summit, joining the NWSL in 2026, there will also be around 50 new roster spots available in the league.
When we talk about free agency, it is important to note that it doesn't always refer to players changing teams at the end of their contracts. The beauty of free agency is that players can negotiate with everyone, including the club they were already signed with.
So, when a player chooses to re-sign with the club they were already at during their free agency window, they must also be factored into the biggest free agency signings of the offseason.
Here are the top 10 NWSL free agent signings of the 2025–26 offseason so far.
1. Sophia Wilson stays with the Portland Thorns
It doesn't get any bigger than Sophia Wilson inking a one-year extension to stay with the Portland Thorns. The 25-year-old forward was already the highest-paid player in the NWSL, but Sportico is reporting that her new extension will see an increased salary of $1 million for 2026. That is an NWSL record.
Wilson missed the 2025 season as she gave birth to her daughter, Gianna. At this time, there is little doubt that she will come back to her best in 2026. When at her best, Wilson is leading the frontline for the U.S. women's national team and scooping up the MVP award in the NWSL.
Long-term contracts and salaries are fluid in the NWSL right now, but this well-compensated short-term agreement for the Thorns to welcome back their star is good for all parties. The Thorns will now have an exclusive negotiation window until June 30, 2026, to work on a longer deal.
From milestones to medals, to motherhood. Same Soph, New Era 👑
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) December 17, 2025
Sophia Wilson returns to Portland in 2026 🌹 pic.twitter.com/cFTdjeJMYW
2. Midge Purce stays with Gotham FC
After five years, three trophies and one wild ride, this offseason felt like maybe the right time for Midge Purce to move on from NY/NJ Gotham FC. But no, free agent Purce signed a one-year extension to remain a Gotham player just weeks after lifting the 2025 NWSL Championship.
As a 30-year-old wide forward, many will view Purce's best days behind her. Furthermore, she has a rough history of injuries and has missed plenty of time since signing with Gotham in 2020. But it's hard to think of a bigger personality and leader in the locker room than Purce. She is Gotham in many ways, and it makes a lot of sense that the club would want her to stay, albeit there isn't a long-term solution here either. There's no question of Purce's ability when she's healthy; now she can prove her fitness to earn that longer deal with Gotham or somewhere else.
3. Hailie Mace signs with Orlando Pride
This one went a bit under the radar, but feels like a home run. Fresh off a record-breaking Shield-winning season with the Kansas City Current, Hailie Mace swapped teal for purple and signed a three-year contract with the Orlando Pride.
Mace is a top wide defender in the NWSL. She offers lots of positional flexibility, powerful shooting from around the box and quality on set pieces. The Pride have been one of the best off-ball teams in the NWSL, but need more players who offer quality in possession. This is a perfect fit of player and club, especially with the Pride letting Carson Pickett leave in this same offseason.
4. Kaleigh Kurtz signs with Denver Summit
We don't quite know what the Denver Summit are going to look like in their inaugural season but we know they have a foundational piece in Kaleigh Kurtz. The former North Carolina Courage center back inked a three-year deal with the Summit this offseason and will be expected to be a starter on day one. Kurtz had been with the Courage since 2018, so this was a surprise to see her leave after so long.
Kurtz is arguably the most dependable player in the NWSL. She has played every single minute of the last four seasons. She has not missed a game since 2021, and even then, she still played 21 of 24 matches in that year. The Summit have picked up a hugely stable defender to build their team around.
5. Brianna Pinto signs with Chicago Stars
No one likes finishing last, and the Chicago Stars are quickly trying to address their roster issues with some quality pickups. The first big signing of the offseason for the Stars was getting free agent Brianna Pinto on a two-year deal.
Pinto is a versatile player who can play anywhere in the central midfield zones or even in the attack. The downside of her flexibility is perhaps her best position feels a bit unknown, as she has tried in a variety of roles while at the North Carolina Courage between 2022 and 2025. Over the years, she has struggled to be a consistent starter and will hope to get more minutes in Chicago.
Off the pitch, Pinto is known as one of the smartest and most active players in the NWSL and was crucial to getting the 2024 collective bargaining agreement over the line. This feels like a big locker room win for the Stars, too.
6. Ally Schlegel signs with North Carolina Courage
Despite the Courage finishing 2025 ranked fourth in the NWSL for goals scored with 37, they struggled to have a true center forward who came alive in the box. Manaka Matsukubo led the team with 11 goals, but her position was more fluid across the frontline and midfield.
A nice fix is the signing of Ally Schlegel on a three-year deal after having her deal with Chicago expire. The center forward is a physical presence in the box, who can score goals in the air and make plenty of space for other players, too. At just 25, it feels like Schlegel's best years are ahead of her.
Ally Schlegel made it official ✍️ pic.twitter.com/xIsioZjnUF
— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) December 4, 2025
7. Alyssa Naeher stays with Chicago Stars
Many thought that Alyssa Naeher was ready to hang up her gloves for good. Having retired from the USWNT in 2024, the two-time World Cup winner looked ready for a swan song with the Chicago Stars in 2025. But, after a last-place finish, Naeher said she had "more to give" and signed a one-year contract extension to stay in the Windy City for her 11th NWSL season.
Naeher will turn 38 in 2026 and there are small amounts of decline settling in. For the first time in her NWSL career, last season, Naeher posted a negative goals prevented score (–2.5 per Fbref). Of course, a lot was asked of the goalkeeper who faced the second-most amount of shots (119) and conceded the most goals (49). Naeher's leadership in the locker room will be huge, though. With Chicago also picking up goalkeeper Katie Lund, there is a contingency plan.
8. Evelina Duljan stays with the Houston Dash
Swedish winger Evelina Duljan had moved clubs every season since 2022 (Kristianstad, Juventus, Orlando Pride and then Houston Dash). Her choice to stick around with the Dash and sign a one-year deal with a club option for 2027 speaks to a need to settle in and get more game time and learn a system.
Duljan has shown flashes of what can make her a special player. She's got brilliant close control, speed and an awareness of how to play vertical soccer. Per 90 minutes, Duljan is one of the most effective wingers went it comes to successful dribbles, blocks, tackles and interceptions. The issue is that she remains an impact player off the bench. She'll be 23 during the 2026 NWSL season and it feels like the time to step up.
9. Miyabi Moriya signs with Utah Royals
Not a splashy signing by any means, but the Utah Royals quietly picking up free agent Japanese international Miyabi Moriya on a one-year deal is a nice piece of business for the 2026 season. The Royals also announced that Moriya would be on a league minimum salary cap-exempt contract ($50,500).
For a Japanese international who played 25 games for Angel City in the NWSL in 2025, that is a really low-cost and low-risk contract. The fullback position isn't the biggest need for the Royals, with Janni Thomsen pretty locked in on the right side. But Moriya is versatile and could come in and offer cover on the left or back up the other starters.
Something to note is that Moriya will likely miss the beginning of the NWSL season in 2026 while she competes with Japan at the Women's Asia Cup, which is set to take place between March 1 and March 21, 2026. So, both the player and club probably factored this into the deal.
10. Casey Murphy signs with Boston Legacy
Casey Murphy needed a new start in 2026 and she has got one. The former Courage goalkeeper has signed a four-year deal with expansion team Boston Legacy. According to ESPN, that deal is expected to be worth $1.5 million between now and 2029. That likely makes Murphy the highest-paid goalkeeper in the NWSL.
The move feels like a no-brainer for Murphy, who had seen her form seriously decline at North Carolina over the last 18 months. Since 2024, Murphy had gone from being viewed as a potential starter on the USWNT to not being in the squad at all. At 29, Murphy is still in her prime for a goalkeeper, so there is upside for her to return to her best. But Boston is betting big on an out-of-form goalkeeper, which, with so many team needs, feels like a risk.
Built for big moments🧤
— Boston Legacy FC (@NWSLBoston) December 15, 2025
Welcome to Boston, Casey Murphy pic.twitter.com/YFn9AvZprh
More NWSL on Sports Illustrated
- Ranking the 10 Best NWSL 2026 Free Agent Signings So Far
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- Gotham’s Midge Purce to Appear As ManningCast’s First Ever Soccer Guest
- Gotham FC Cement Status As NWSL’s Most Clutch Team Under Pressure
- How Spanish Managers Are Dominating Women’s Soccer in North America
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking the 10 Best NWSL 2026 Free Agent Signings So Far.
