Sources: NWSL voting on extra funds to pay stars like Rodman - ESPN

The NWSL's Board of Governors, which consists of team owners and commissioner Jessica Berman, is in advanced discussions about implementing a new roster mechanism that would allow each team to pay star players significant salaries beyond the current salary cap, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.

If passed, the change would mark a significant shift in the NWSL's long-term strategy with the short-term goal of keeping Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman in the league.

The basic framework of the new mechanism is that each team would have a set amount of money beyond the current salary cap to spend on star players who meet certain criteria, and that those funds could be used on multiple players. A version of the proposal is currently out for a vote with the league's board and could be approved ahead of next week's scheduled board meeting.

Sources said this mechanism and other proposals have been debated by the board nearly daily in recent weeks, and the concept had been discussed in some capacity — with less urgency — earlier in the year. Part of the debate in recent weeks has included which types of players should qualify for the proposed new funds. It is not immediately clear how that will be defined.

The NWSL board hopes the rule would solve the saga around Rodman's free agency — her contract expires at the end of December — and keep her with the Spirit at a salary — almost certainly above $1 million — that can compete with other offers she has from abroad. The rule is also meant to allow NWSL teams to compete financially in similar situations in the future.

The NWSL's proposed concept is that teams would not be able to offer unlimited funds to any player due to a limit on the amount of new funds that would be