NFL gun Jordan Mailata has sealed his status as one of Australia’s best-performing athletes on the world stage, securing a three-year extension with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Having just turned 27, the former Rugby League player will remain at the pointy end of Australian sport’s rich list for the foreseeable future.
It’s an incredible success story, given how quickly he was able to transition from raw product and former Rabbitoh to NFL starter — it’s frankly unheard of. Mailata plays left tackle in the NFL, a notoriously important and challenging position, protecting the quarterback, and there are less good ones than there are teams.
He’s unquestionably one of Australia’s best ever dual-sport stars.
Here are the details.
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Jordan Mailata secures three-year, $66 million dollar extension
The Sydney product came in as Australian sport’s fourth-highest earner in 2023 and he’ll continue to be among the nation’s richest athletes for multiple years.
Mailata’s three-year extension, an average salary of $22 million, keeps him under contract with the NFC contender until 2028.
This just in: Eagles and LT Jordan Mailata reached agreement on a three-year, $66 million extension that includes $48 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus, per sources. The deal ties Mailata to Philadelphia through the 2028 season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2024
The $22 million per-year average… pic.twitter.com/Svo6Ikvp0B
In terms of average yearly salary, Mailata becomes the fourth-highest-earning tackle, behind only Houston’s Laremy Tunsil ($25 million), New York Giant Andrew Thomas ($23.5 million) and 49er Trent Williams ($23.01 million).
Of the $66 million in the extension, $48 million is guaranteed, good for third-highest at his position.
What’s Jordan Mailata’s status in the NFL?
Given that Mailata doesn’t play one of the sport’s glamour positions, it can be tough for us casuals to properly understand his role and also tangibly judge how good he is. Thankfully, the dollars pretty adequately reflect what the league thinks of him.
With almost every starting quarterback in the NFL being right-handed throwers, Mailata playing left tackle means he’s an offensive lineman that protects a QB’s blindside — the passer has to have full trust in his left tackle’s ability to protect, because he cannot see the pass rush coming (he doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head).
Mailata protects superstar signal-caller Jalen Hurts, who led Philadelphia to the 2023 Super Bowl, where they went down in a nail-biting shootout to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. It was one of the best Super Bowls we’ve ever seen.
The Eagles were, and still have been, credited as possessing one of the best offensive lines in the league, which has helped ensure that the team remains a leading threat in its conference, the NFC.
The Mailata extension is important in the context of providing stability to a line that now must weather the recent retirement of center Jason Kelce.
With the help of the Aussie, the Eagles will look to get back to the business end of the NFC’s playoff picture, after fading away at the back end of last season. The end of the Kelce era will no doubt be a reference point and theme in the upcoming campaign.
