1. Jay Rodriguez in 2024-25: Quick Overview
Jay Rodriguez started the 2024-25 season with Burnley in the Championship before unexpectedly joining League One’s Wrexham, backed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The one-cap England international had found minutes hard to come by at Turf Moor as Scott Parker’s Clarets were being pushed by Leeds United and Sheffield United for one of the two automatic promotion spots. Rodriguez had failed to complete 90 minutes and had only started eight of the 20 Championship games he was involved in, scoring twice.
In January, as Wrexham themselves were in the midst of a promotion fight in League One, the striker dropped to play English third-tier football for the first time in his career. The 36-year-old started every game he was available for following his signing as The Red Dragons were able to clinch second spot and a historic place in the second tier.
Rodriguez is now back in the Championship with Wrexham as the Welsh side looks to continue their rise up the divisions after back-to-back-to-back promotions.
- Weekly Salary: £25,000
- Annual Salary: £1,300,000
- Current Club: Wrexham
- Contract Expiry: June 2026
- Reported Bonuses: None
2. Career Earnings to Date
| Club | Years | Estimated Salary |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2018-19 | £780,000 |
| Burnley | 2019-20 | £1,820,000 |
| Burnley | 2020-21 | £1,820,000 |
| Burnley | 2021-22 | £1,820,000 |
| Burnley | 2022-23 | £1,820,000 |
| Burnley | 2023-24 | £2,080,000 |
| Burnley | 2024-25 | £2,080,000 |
| Wrexham | 2025-26 | £1,300,000 |
Jay Rodriguez began his career with Burnley, debuting for the club back in 2007 with a cameo appearance against Bristol City before heading north to Stirling Albion and gaining vital experience in the Scottish Championship. The striker scored three goals in 11 games during his loan spell and went back to Turf Moor for what turned out to be his breakthrough season.
The striker would gradually increase his playing time and output before scoring 14 and 15 goals in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons and alerting the attention of Premier League side Southampton. Rodriguez signed for the Saints for a fee believed to be around £8 million and went straight into their side, scoring six league goals in his first season and then having his best top-flight scoring season with 15 in 2013-14.
His goals would dry up, and he would eventually be moved on to West Bromwich Albion in a £13 million deal, with Rodriguez signing a deal worth £15,000 a week or £780,000 per year. His stay at the Hawthorns was fairly short-lived, and a £10 million return to Burnley was sealed in 2019, with the striker’s wages jumping to £35,000 a week, giving him a gross annual salary of £1,820,000.
Rodriguez spent three more seasons in the Premier League with Burnley before relegation back to the Championship in 2021-22. During his second spell at Turf Moor, he signed a number of contract extensions, including one in May 2024 that saw his wage rise from £1,820,000 to £2,080,000.
As his time on the pitch for the Clarets began to dwindle, ambitious Wrexham of League One came calling and signed Rodriguez to a deal running until the summer of 2026, offering the striker a new opportunity and regular playing time.
Rodriguez has one season left on that deal at the Racecourse Ground, and those wages will add to the approximate £13,520,000 he has earned in his career to date.
3. Contract Details & History
Jay Rodriguez moved to League One Wrexham in January 2025 as the club sought promotion to the Championship. The striker accepted a wage decrease from Burnley in exchange for regular starts with his new team.
Wages of £25,000 a week in League One are astronomical, but Wrexham were in a battle to secure automatic promotion and saw Rodriguez’s quality and experience as a way of achieving that. This contract represents the lowest wage he has signed for since his days at West Bromwich Albion, but it is remarkably £10,000 a week more than what the Baggies were paying the then recently capped England and Premier League striker.
4. Salary Comparison: How Jay Rodriguez Stacks Up
Wrexham’s Top Earners (2025-26):
- Jay Rodriguez – £1,300,000
- Sam Smith – £780,000
- Matty James – £780,000
- Oliver Rathbone – £650,000
- James McClean – £520,000
- George Dobson – £442,000
- Dan Scarr – £442,000
- George Evans – £416,000
- Lewis Brunt – £390,000
- Ryan Longman – £390,000
Comparison To Other Strikers In The Championship (2025-26)
- Adam Armstrong (Southampton) – £3,120,000
- Cameron Archer (Southampton) – £2,080,000
- Ben Brereton (Southampton) – £1,820,000
- Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion) £1,680,000
- George Hirst (Ipswich Town) – £1,430,000
- Jay Rodriguez – £1,300,000
- Tom Cannon (Sheffield United) £1,300,000
- Ellis Simms (Coventry City) – £1,300,000
- Haji Wright (Coventry City) – £1,300,000
- Sam Gallagher (Stoke City) – £1,300,000
Using the data available from Capology, Jay Rodriguez is Wrexham’s best-paid player and earns over £500,000 a year more than the next players on the club’s top earners list. Sam Smith and Matty James both reportedly earn £780,000 a year and are followed by Oli Rathbone (£650,000) and James McClean (£520,000).
In terms of his goal contributions, Rodriguez’s two strikes in League One were a far cry from what would have been expected of a player dropping down to that level, yet still earning such a high wage.
Rodriquez is also one of the highest-paid strikers in the Championship, finding himself behind a host of strikers from relegated Premier League sides like Southampton’s Adam Armstrong and George Hirst of Ipswich Town. Wrexham will be hopeful that the former West Bromwich Albion forward can utilize his quality and experience to continue their progression as the Welsh club looks to make a mark in the Championship.
5. FAQs About Jay Rodriguez’s Salary
Q: What is Jay Rodriguez’s weekly and annual salary?
A: Jay Rodriguez earns £25,000 a week at Wrexham, giving him a gross annual salary of £1,300,000.
Q: When does Jay Rodriguez’s current contract end?
- A: Jay Rodriguez is under contract at the Racecourse Ground until the summer of 2026.
Q: Are there any bonuses or incentives in the contract?
- A: Any bonuses in his contract are unknown.
Q: Has Jay Rodriguez’s salary changed in recent years?
- A: Jay Rodriguez signed for Wrexham for less money than he was earning at Burnley, dropping from £40,000 a week to £25,000 with the Welsh club. Since signing for West Brom on £780,000 in 2018, Rodriguez has been earning around £2,000,000 a year for the entirety of his career until dropping to £1,300,000 on his latest deal.
Q: How does Jay Rodriguez’s salary compare to teammates or league rivals?
- A: Jay Rodriguez is easily the best-paid player on Wrexham’s books, earning over half a million pounds more than those next on the list. In terms of the best paid strikers in the Championship, Rodriguez again ranks highly and in the top ten earners.
Q: Does his salary affect club finances?
- A: Wrexham reportedly pays close to £9,500,000 per year on wages, with the average gross annual salary being a little over £300,000. With these figures in mind, Rodiguez’s salary is a large proportion of the club’s overall wage bill.
