On Friday afternoon, Seattle Reign shared farewell posts for five players who played for the Reign in 2024 but were free agents heading into the 2025 season: Olivia Athens, Tziarra King, Maia Pérez, Quinn, and Nikki Stanton.
As of Friday evening, no further details were shared about where each of the five players may be heading. As free agents this offseason, they had the opportunity to negotiate with their current club or take offers elsewhere in the league or abroad.
On Instagram, Quinn took time to thank the club and fans for creating such a welcoming environment to thrive. "You’ve given a safe place to grow and flourish. So many beautiful friendships. A city to be proud of. A fan base I’ve only ever felt supported and seen in. I hope over the past five years we’ve given this city a team to be proud of in return. Seattle will forever have a special place in my heart."
In December, King shared on Instagram that, "in a really disappointing turn of events, my time at the Reign has come to an end."
Quinn, who joined the Reign in 2019, dealt with several injuries in 2024 but still played just over 1,000 minutes and was the club's first option at defensive midfield when healthy. Athens, who signed in 2022, played nearly 700 minutes and scored one goal. King played the most minutes of her pro career, finishing with two goals and one assist in more than 1,300 minutes. Stanton got just over 100 minutes while Pérez did not feature for the Reign.
In addition to the departures announced on Friday, free agent goalkeeper Laurel Ivory signed with the Kansas City Current.
Two remaining free agents have yet to re-sign with the Reign and also weren't included in the batch of farewell posts: Lauren Barnes and Maddie Mercado, who scored the final goal of the Reign's 2024 season. While the club has not commented, that could be a good sign that Mercado will return in 2025.
Club captain Barnes has been with the Reign since 2013 and has played in the most matches in league history, but she also dealt with a series of injuries at the end of 2024. At the club's end-of-year press conference, Reign general manager Lesle Gallimore said the team was in constant contact with Barnes about re-signing and was letting her take the time to determine if she could continue playing.
"Lu is clearly a legend in our club. And different than [Megan Rapinoe] and Jess [Fishlock] who are several times a year on international duty, Lu is here, she is here for the club, she is here for the players, she's a mainstay. She's had a difficult season injury and health-wise, it's been a little bit up and down, a roller coaster. But when we've needed her, she's there, and she's always going to put her best foot forward. So with Lu, I'm personally in constant contact with her about what's next and how that looks and what she wants to have happen and to try to get to a point where we make a good decision based on where she is in her football, where she's in her health, where she is in her head and what she wants to do."
Some of these departures shouldn't come as a surprise. The Reign continue to rebuild after a disappointing season that saw them finish 13th out of 14 teams. To fill some gaps in defense, the Reign signed free agent defender Madison Curry, who had a breakout year at Angel City. In December, the club traded for NWSL all-time leading goal scorer Lynn Williams and veteran goalkeeper Cassie Miller.
If Barnes and Mercado return to the Reign, that puts the club at 25 roster spots filled out of a league maximum of 26. They need to sign a third goalkeeper as well. However, Ryanne Brown will enter the season with a season-ending injury status as she rehabs from an ACL tear and Sofia Huerta will remain on loan to Olympique Lyonnais until their season ends in May.
Meanwhile, Sam Meza's loan to Dallas Trinity ended in December and Lily Woodham's loan to Crystal Palace is slated to finish at the end of January. Meza was named the USL Super League Player of the Month in November. She finished her loan spell with two goals and one assist in 13 games. She also led the team in shots and tackles and duels won.
More moves could be on the way as well. With Quinn, Stanton, and Athens not returning, the Reign are light in the midfield. Olivia Van der Jagt, Angharad James Turner, and Ainsley McCammon are the primary holding midfield options on the current roster, while Jess Fishlock and Meza can play deeper as well.
