Multiple sources have confirmed to Sports Illustrated that forward Lynn Williams and goalkeeper Cassie Miller have been traded from NJ/NY Gotham FC to Seattle Reign in exchange for midfielder Jaelin Howell and an undisclosed transfer fee. Neither Gotham nor Seattle commented on the trade when contacted.

Sources have indicated that Williams, a California native, has wanted to finish her NWSL career at a club on the West Coast, a request which factored this into the trade. 

The U.S. women’s national team forward joined Gotham in 2023 and has played a key role in the club’s rejuvenation over the past two seasons, which culminated in winning the NWSL Championship in ’23 and advancing to the semifinals in ’24. She also recently scored the winning goal for the USWNT in a friendly against the Netherlands.

Williams is the NWSL’s all-time leading goalscorer with 80 across all competitions, and ranks third all-time for assists with 28. During her two seasons with Gotham, she tallied 11 goals and four assists in 35 league matches. 

Howell, a former Mac Hermann Trophy winner, is set for her third NWSL club in five months. In 2024, the 25-year-old midfielder was traded to Seattle from Racing Louisville at the end of the August transfer window. Reign transferred $50,000 and Bethany Balcer to Racing in order to make that deal happen.

A player of supreme potential, Howell was drafted second in the 2022 NWSL draft but has struggled to maintain form and fitness. Over the past two seasons, she averaged 18 appearances and 1,241 minutes per season. She served as captain for Louisville and has been lauded for her leadership on and off the pitch.

Cassie Miller joined Gotham via a trade from the Kansas City Current in 2024 in exchange for $70,000 in allocation money and a $30,000 intra-league transfer fee. The 29-year-old initially held the starting goalkeeper slot due to a season-ending injury sustained by Abby Smith, Gotham’s starter in 2023.

However, midway through the 2024 season, Gotham picked up German keeper Ann-Katrin Berger, limiting Miller’s playing time. Before that, Miller began her professional career in Europe with PSV Eindhoven and then Apollon Limassol, before returning to the U.S. to play for the Chicago Red Stars and KC Current in the NWSL.

This is the first major offseason move for Seattle, but it has already been a busy window of departures for Gotham. It kicked off with midfield stalwart Delanie Sheehan moving from NJ/NY to the Houston Dash as a free agent. Then, defender Sam Hiatt signed with the Portland Thorns, and Spanish utility player Maitane López was picked up by the Red Stars. More moves are expected in the coming weeks.