When NCAA All-American striker Diana Ordóñez debuted in the NWSL in 2022, there was little more that she could ask from her rookie season with the North Carolina Courage. Within her first professional year, Ordonez immediately became a star for the Courage, broke the league's scoring record for a rookie, and also earned a call-up for Mexico's national team.

The only problem: She had no say in going to North Carolina.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the experiences that I had there, the coaches that I had, the teammates," the now-Houston Dash forward told ESPN about her first club. "[But] I didn't get to choose to go there, they picked me.

"Still, an unbelievable experience, but at the end of the day my desire was to be closer to home. My family is from Dallas, so Houston would be the best place for me and my life."

Following changes made by last year's new collective bargaining agreement in the NWSL, Ordoñez's predicament is now a thing of the past.

Thanks to changes in the CBA, the U.S. women's top flight is the first major league in the United States to eliminate a college or entry draft, thereby giving college players the freedom to negotiate and choose their first professional team.

"I see it as a great thing for the NWSL," said Ordoñez. "This way, people can kind of shop around and choose where they want to be."

Along with other changes that include alterations to free agency and player consent for trades, a new era is now underway in the NWSL. With more freedoms shifting in the favor of players, there's now a different environment that professionals, clubs and the league will have to adapt to.

The NWSL, in other words, is forging a path no other major American league has before.

When speaking about the end of the draft and changes to free agency, commissioner Jessica Berman was open when discussing the uncharted road ahead during late January's NWSL Media Day.

"It's a learning process for the whole ecosystem," Berman told journalists in attendance.

"On the technical staff side, they've never experienced anything like this. There actually is nothing to point to as a case study of how to make this transition, because there is no league that has gone from a world of a draft and having years of service, to being able to earn free agency and just having that melt away overnight."

So what does this all mean for rookies and for the league? In order to get a better understanding on the overall impact, ESPN chatted with players and general managers about maneuvering through an NWSL world without a draft.

A boost for NWSL players: "I could advocate for myself"

In line with Ordoñez, there was near universal approval from the players ESPN asked about the college draft being abolished.

For Bay FC's Taylor Huff, who is part of the first generation to have had the opportunity to negotiate her future after playing in the NCAA, there was an appreciation for those who helped make the changes to the CBA.

"I'm very thankful for the people who came before me who were like 'No, we don't want a draft' ... I think it definitely benefited me in a lot of ways, because I'm such a comfortable person in knowing that I could go into an environment before I choose the team, [and that] was everything that I think I personally needed," Huff said.

"I'm very, very grateful that the people in the NWSL spoke up and kind of made that decision easy for me."

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San Diego Wave's Quincy McMahon, one of the first NCAA players to be signed after the end of the draft, echoed those feelings. Notably, the former UCLA defender also highlighted that the latest changes helped create a "tipping point" for those who were considering going pro in the NWSL.

"The autonomy that we have, that was a huge thing for a lot of us," McMahon. "Just to be more excited and to kind of be like 'Oh, maybe I do want to play professionally if I get to kind of have a say in where I go,' so I think for some of my teammates it was a tipping point."

"We knew that it meant I had more of a say, but also that I could advocate for myself, and also I could kind of negotiate in a way, and before it was like you got drafted, you got a contract, and that's what you took."

That tipping point for rookies has helped keep the number of player signings stable. According to some number-crunching over at The Equalizer, a total of 42 outgoing NCAA players have so far signed NWSL contracts in the 2025 offseason. Looking at research from Spotrac, only seven drafted players signed with an NWSL club by the end of February last year, although that number then goes up to 40 when including those who signed before the start of the season in March of 2024.

The NWSL's 2025 season kicks off on March 14.

It appears fears of a severe drop-off in signings have been unrealized in the first NWSL season without the draft. When including other competitions such as the new domestic USL Super League and others from abroad, professional contracts for recent college players are currently outpacing what we've seen from the previous class.

For rising stars like University of Texas alum Lexi Missimo, who was included in the U.S. national team's "Futures Camp" in January, the end of the draft helped solidify the notion that she not only had free agency, but also even more opportunities to consider beyond the NWSL.

"I think it just puts into consideration of where people truly want to live, and also knowing which team has an attacking midfielder or where you're going to get the most minutes. I think that's what the draft going away really makes an athlete think about," said Missimo, who signed with the USL's Dallas Trinity FC near the midpoint of the league's inaugural season.

"I just really sat in with my family and thought about, where do I truly want to live? Where do I think I'm going to benefit the most for playing wise?"

Four minutes into her February debut, Missimo scored her first professional goal.

"When I was making my decision with my inner circle, it wasn't about the two leagues, both leagues are great, it was more about where I wanted to play and where I was going to get the most minutes to develop my game."

The importance of being able to make that decision has been clear. Along with players being able to negotiate as free agents, and also creating their own sporting pathways through the end of the draft, there's the simple but vital factor of playing where you want to play --- which should be constructive for all involved.

"At the end of the day, you want to go somewhere where you want to be," said Bay FC's Huff. "They want people to choose where they want to be, and if they're where they want to be, then they're going to be at their best and happy."

The front office perspective and recruitment

If we're using ESPN's anonymous NWSL GM survey from last year as a barometer, feelings are undoubtedly mixed about the end of the draft.

Asked before the CBA had been approved, there was a near-even split among general managers who wanted to keep it or do away with it. One worry cited by several was the lack of new roster mechanisms that could help replace the draft, while another brought up was the usefulness of having a tradeable resource and tool to sign players without transfer fees.

Nonetheless, from the two GMs that ESPN spoke with for this article, months after the CBA had been passed, there was a recognition of the league making the right steps.

"Look, we would have benefited from a draft this year from where we placed last season, but I'm still gonna sit here and say that this is the best thing for the league," said San Diego GM and sporting director Camille Ashton. "You have to do the work as a club to attract players here, and I think that that's only going to improve us as a club and as an organization overall. ... I think it's a real positive for everybody."

With the addition of the University of North Carolina's Trinity Armstrong in January, Wave have so far added three outgoing NCAA players to their roster during the current offseason. According to Ashton, there is an additional "responsibility on the teams" to now cater to players who could help raise the standard of each club.

"Responsibility" was a word that was also used by Yael Averbuch West, GM and head of soccer operations for NJ/NY Gotham FC, when chatting about the new landscape of women's soccer.

"We have to scout more players and not just look at, 'We have X number of draft picks'," said Averbuch West. "[We] look at the whole college game and say, like of these group of players, which players do we think could contribute to our roster in short and in longer term, and so that is a huge responsibility."

"Now you can really be ambitious and go and try to recruit players to play for your club. So I think, we saw the great opportunity. We've put in a lot of work, and we will continue to do so to really understand the college game, understand how it translates to the pro game."

As part of a restructuring of the team, Gotham have been busy in the offseason with five rookie signings from the NCAA. Whether that continues going forward will be on a case-by-case basis for Averbuch West, who noted that these decisions for clubs could change by roster needs, and that there may be future years in which Gotham may have just one spot open.

Regardless of the exact number, part of the overall thinking for both clubs is the desire to find better fits that also want to be within an organization. As Ashton put it: "Being part of a team should never be like a one way choice, or like a one way decision, it really needs to be mutually beneficial and be the right place for both parties."

Doing so means preparing pitches, literally and figuratively, to players.

For San Diego's McMahon, the process felt akin to college recruiting with meetings and Zoom calls with different teams. Clubs would provide selling points, discuss their philosophy, tactical approaches, and also showcase their facilities. As for Huff, the rookie credited the ability to find a good agent that was able to quickly bring information to her that allowed her to adequately communicate back and forth with different teams.

There's more review and assessments from either side, and from the perspective of a more experienced NWSL figure like Chicago Stars FC's Sam Staab, she's seen an increase in trials being utilized in the offseason.

"Teams are holding combines or maybe doing a bit more due diligence," said Staab to ESPN. "I do think teams are doing that and I think it's smart, I think it's cool. I think an opportunity to show yourself in front of the coaches that you want to play for is an opportunity that anyone should and want to have."

Club's front offices can't hold onto players indefinitely as trialists either. Time constraints in the NWSL's 2025 Competition Manual have given 56 days (consecutive or non-consecutive) maximum for a U21 trialist, or 21 days (consecutive or non-consecutive) maximum for trialists that are over the age of 21.

"There was no rule previously around the amount of days that trialists could be in," said Ashton. "These time constraints, it really [does] not force the teams to make decisions, but if that time period expires, then the player can make that decision to move on, to take another opportunity elsewhere."

"The next chapter" of the NWSL

Unknowns do still remain.

Despite the fact that McMahon was able to seamlessly find her way into the NWSL, the defender noted that some of her college teammates haven't had the most straightforward journeys.

"I know for many of my friends, even at UCLA, this process has been long and drawn out, and even right now, they're not sure where they're going to end up, or if they're going to end up anywhere," said McMahon. "To be fair, it's the first year."

When speaking to Racing Louisville's Savannah DeMelo, who viewed the end of the draft as a positive for the league, she also hinted at worries that some college players could be overlooked: "The downside to it is that there's so many people that now maybe won't get a shot," while also noting that the USL could help pick up the slack for those who are looking for chances outside of the NWSL.

And while players do have the freedom to choose teams, that freedom is still immediately and rapidly placed on their shoulders right after leaving the NCAA.

"We can't speak to any professional clubs before we end our college season, and we can't have an agent represent us before we end our college season," said McMahon. "Which I understand the implications of as to why, but I do think that that made the process very hard and fast."

As highlighted earlier, the good news in the early days of the new NWSL era is that things are looking mostly promising when looking at the number of signings of outgoing college players. When coupled with those who are playing in the USL and abroad, the argument could be made that it's an exciting moment for those who want to become professionals in the world's game.

However, at the NWSL level, adjustments and a necessary evolution will have to continue to follow for the league that has to find more avenues into the competition that has no centralized academy structure or a secondary league.

"I think time will tell the resources that our clubs need to be able to make their scouting processes more sophisticated," said Berman during NWSL's Media Day. "It's created a really important dialogue at our board level about investing in the path-to-pro, which I think is going to be the next chapter of this league's growth."

For Ashton and Averbuch West, that future means finding ways to include more under the NWSL umbrella.

"Certainly, there needs to be an extended amount of players who are involved in each professional club's environment. What that exactly looks like, I think, is a little bit TBD. How quickly it happens is TBD," said Averbuch West.

"Like for us at Gotham, how many players feel that they have a tie to the Gotham environment right now? We can only have 26 on contract with our first team...what is the extension of that look like?"

Ashton brought up the need for a secondary league.

"With a lot of younger players entering the league, if players aren't getting playing time pretty consistently, it's hard to develop," said San Diego's GM. "Having some version of a second team, or a B team, where your first team and pro players can play in those games, I think is going to be a really important step."

No matter the case on how the league develops, those next steps will have to continue to cater to the needs of players along the way, especially with the rise of new women's leagues, such as the USL. With free agency increasing and opportunities beyond the NWSL, players are recognizing the significance of choosing what works best for their careers.

"People have a voice, and they want to play where they want and they want to be happy where they are working. Obviously, I mean, this is a job at the end of the day," said Dallas' Missimo.

Whether they're looking for minutes, a fresh start, or simply want to be closer to home, there's an invaluable power to be able to help dictate one's own future. The end of the draft is a noteworthy win for those seeking that, and it's another step towards emphasizing that each player isn't just a name and a number on a jersey.

"We're so much more than an athlete. We're so much more than the person you see on the field," said Huff.

"I feel like even in the media and the NWSL, we can do a better job at portraying who we are as humans. We have so many different avenues and routes and things we like to do, so I feel like at times, it can be hard to be categorized only as a soccer player, only this."

"Maybe it doesn't relate as much to this story, but I think it's super important to realize too."

After making arguably the two biggest splashes of the NHL trade deadline, the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers are the new favorites to win the Stanley Cup in 2025, showing +600 odds at ESPN BET.

Dallas acquired right wing Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes and later signed him to a reported eight-year contract extension; Florida picked up longtime Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand.

Before the transactions, the Stars were +700 to win the season's championship, while the Panthers were +750 and immediately shortened to +650 before settling at the current number. Pricing across the sportsbook marketplace varies, with some books showing the Stars as outright favorites and others posting Florida as the favorite as short as +500.

Both teams flew up the odds board past the Edmonton Oilers, who sit at +700 as of Friday afternoon and are not the Cup favorites for the first time since July 2, when the Panthers were favored. The two teams faced off in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, with Florida prevailing.

Edmonton is still easily ESPN BET's most popular Stanley Cup future selection, attracting a leading 22.7% of the bets and 14.2% of the handle. The Panthers have the second-most money at 9.8%, while the Hurricanes have the second-most tickets at 13.4%. Carolina, who had traded for Rantanen in late January, is fourth on the sportsbook's odds board at +900.

The team Rantanen began the season and his career with, the Colorado Avalanche, made one of the other big moves of the deadline, acquiring center Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders. Prior to the trade, Colorado was +1300 to lift the Cup and is +1000 as of Friday afternoon, tied with the Washington Capitals for fifth.

Washington, attracting plenty of attention and special betting markets amid Alex Ovechkin's goal record chase, have taken the third-most Cup futures wagers (8.5%) at ESPN BET. Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets, leading the league with 90 game points, are tied with two other teams at +1200 on the odds board, but have attracted the third-most money (9.4%) at the sportsbook. Each team made smaller trades ahead of the deadline.

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam recently declined a request to meet with Myles Garrett amid the star pass rusher's trade request, a league source confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

NFL Network first reported that Haslam declined Garrett's request to meet and directed him to speak instead with general manager Andrew Berry, who oversees football operations.

A Browns spokesperson declined to comment.

The development comes with both sides dug in on their stances -- Garrett wishing to be traded to a contender and the Browns adamant that they will not acquiesce in the request. Garrett first requested a trade in early February, saying the Browns' future is not aligned with winning right now. A source also said that Garrett is not open to a contract extension with the team.

Berry reiterated at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last week that he does not intend to trade Garrett, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski later said Garrett is "part of the present. He's part of the future."

Garrett, a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection, has two years remaining on the record-breaking five-year, $125 million extension he signed in 2020 but has no more guaranteed salary.

In eight seasons, Garrett, 29, has made the playoffs twice. The Browns' 3-14 finish in 2024 was their worst since going 0-16 in 2017, Garrett's rookie year. Cleveland holds the second pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans have released outside linebacker Harold Landry III. The move saves the Titans $10.9 million in cap space but increases to $17.5 million if Tennessee designates Landry's release as a post-June 1 move.

Landry led the Titans with nine sacks last season and posted 15 tackles for a loss and 15 quarterback hits in 17 starts. Last season was Landry's third consecutive season with at least nine sacks, including a career-high 12 in 2021.

The Titans signed Landry to a five-year, $87 million contract in 2022. Landry suffered a torn ACL during the preseason and missed all of 2022. He returned in 2023 and finished second on the Titans with 10.5 sacks.

Landry's 83.1% of defensive snaps played last season led all Titans linebackers. Tennessee used a rotation of Landry, outside linebackers Arden Key and Jaylen Harrell, and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day to play outside of interior defensive linemen Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat.

The Titans granted Landry's agents permission to seek a trade during the combine last month. Nothing materialized, so Tennessee is releasing the 28-year-old pass rusher, making him a free agent.

Landry was drafted by the Titans in the second round (41st overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. He was the final member of Tennessee's 2018 draft class on the roster.

Tennessee has the No.1 pick in this year's draft and hosted outside linebacker Abdul Carter at its facility Thursday.

Brad Marchand will be traded to the Florida Panthers pending a trade call, sources told ESPN on Friday.

It was a late splash at the NHL trade deadline on Friday for the Panthers, who are gearing up for another run at the Stanley Cup.

A source told ESPN's John Buccigross that the Bruins will receive a 2027 second-round choice that turns into a 2028 first-round pick if certain conditions are met.

Marchand, the Boston Bruins' captain, was in the final months of an eight-year deal with Boston that carried a $6.125 million salary cap hit. The captain wanted to stay in Boston; however, negotiations with his camp and the Bruins reached a stalemate over term, sources told ESPN. The Bruins were hesitant to give Marchand a two-year contract.

Marchand, who turns 37 in May, is currently sidelined with an upper-body injury that could keep him out until shortly before the playoffs. The Bruins are currently in Tampa, but Marchand remained in Boston, rehabbing. The winger had three surgeries this past summer -- on his elbow, groin and abdomen. He competed in every game for Team Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off and was effective for the Bruins, scoring 21 goals in 61 games this season.

The defending Stanley Cup champions got even stronger over the past week, notably acquiring defenseman Seth Jones from Chicago. Florida also picked up a new backup goalie in Vitek Vanecek and a depth forward in Nico Sturm.

The Bruins fell out of playoff contention -- in a season that already cost coach Jim Montgomery his job -- and became big sellers on Friday, also trading away veteran center Charlie Coyle to Colorado and Brandon Carlo to Toronto. Earlier, the team traded away Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau.

A Stanley Cup champion with Boston in 2011, and a perennial top-liner who bridged the Bruins' transitions between several different coaching staffs, Marchand, 37, can play the tough minutes for the Panthers as they battle for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Marchand has scored at least 21 goals in the past 12 seasons, and he has hovered between 18 and 19 minutes per game on the ice in the past 10 years for the Bruins.