Nine Washington Spirit players – including Nicole Barnhart, Makenna Morris, and Anna Heilferty – are out of contract and eligible for free agency, according to a list released by the NWSL Players Association. Beginning tomorrow, these players can negotiate new deals with any team in the league, including Washington, for the 2025 season.

Under the new NWSL Collective Bargaining Agreement, all players whose contracts are ending with the current season are now free agents. With the influx of international players into the league and elimination of the college draft, this off-season promises to be more turbulent than ever, and competition for top players could be fierce.

Here’s your cheat sheet on who could be leaving Washington and what their departures might mean for the team.

The players

Nicole Barnhart has experienced free agency twice before and been re-signed to one-year deals with the Spirit both times. With Lyza Bosselmann injured for the majority of this season, Barnhart remains the primary back-up to goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and played at least one match in the Summer Cup. If the Spirit opt not to re-sign her this year (or if the 42-year-old player decides it’s time to retire), they could be looking to sign two new goalies in the offseason.

Excepting the ill-fated season opener, Annaïg Butel has played a full 90 minutes in every Spirit match this year. The French international joined the team in 2023 and has grown into her role as a reliable starting center back. Washington have already signed a possible replacement for Butel in Esme Morgan, but she hasn’t made her first appearance yet and certainly hasn’t shown she’s ready to take over starting duties. Plus, losing Butel keeps the Spirit short on depth in what is already a position of need.

Anna Heilferty was drafted in 2021 as a midfielder but converted to fullback before the 2022 season and became an essential part of the Spirit’s back line. Unfortunately, Heilferty’s professional career has been plagued by a pair of ACL injuries, which put her on the season-ending injury list the past two years. Despite this, Heilferty is a fan favorite: active in the community and in Spirit theme nights. Her teammates have also described her as talented and versatile player in training, a hidden gem who we were looking forward to seeing on the field this year. After spending two seasons without her, the Spirit may be ready to move on from Heilferty, as they apparently did not pick up the option year on her contract, but they’d be sacrificing a bit of their heart to do so.

Like Heilferty, Civana Kuhlmann has spent much of the last two seasons on the SEI due to an ACL injury in 2023, and her contract option was not exercised for next year. Washington drafted her with the 37th pick of the 2023 college draft, and she played in ten matches last year between the regular season and challenge cup. Officially a forward, Kuhlmann played in multiple positions for the Spirit. There’s still time for her to return to the field this season, but her career with the Spirit may end up as one of unknown possibilities.

Makenna Morris was a first round pick by the Spirit in what will now be the last NWSL college draft. Though she missed much of the early season with an injury, Morris had a big impact in her first start in July, scoring, assisting, and winning a penalty kick to boost Washington to a 3-0 win against Bay FC. She’s played fairly consistently since then, and it would be something of a surprise to see Washington let her get away. She was, however, the only rookie to sign a single-year contract, so maybe Morris has different plans for her future.

A third player whose option was not exercised for next year, Lena Silano is a 2023 draft pick who’s been a strong substitute striker for the Spirit. Silano scored the lone goal in Washington’s match against the Portland Thorns earlier this year and notched two more in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. Though she’s been an important depth piece for the Spirit, as they flesh out their attacking core with international players like Leicy Santos and Rosemunde Kouassi, Silano could be looking for a team where she’ll see more consistent playing time.

Goalkeeper Kaylie Collins and defenders Jenna Butler and Waniya Hudson were all signed to one-year deals with the Spirit partway through the 2024 season to help replace injured players and reinforce the roster through international windows. None of the three has yet made a regular season appearance for Washington, but Butler played a big role in the Spirit’s Summer Cup. Collins, meanwhile, is providing needed depth to the goalkeeper’s union while Bosselmann is injured.

Which free agents do you think Washington should work to re-sign? Do you have a different destination in mind for any of them? Let us know in the comments.