Jordan Mailata reflects on his journey from ‘humble beginnings’ to one of the NFL’s richest left tackles

Jordan Mailata doesn’t typically reflect on his journey from playing rugby in his native Australia to entrenching himself as the Eagles’ starting left tackle, who’s now under contract through 2028.

Who has the time? Players are constantly on the go, Mailata explained, jumping between practices and meetings during the week before their games on the weekends, then repeating the process all over again the following week.

But for the first time in his career, the 27-year-old Mailata and his wife, Niki, spent their honeymoon in Italy last week looking back on how far he’s come in a sport he had never played before the Eagles selected him in the seventh round, No. 233 overall, in the 2018 draft.

» READ MORE: Eagles roster: Saquon Barkley’s fit, right guard uncertainty stand out as major questions before draft

“Six years ago, I could barely afford a train ticket,” Mailata said Friday. “And now I was in Italy in a nice hotel, in many nice hotels, and that’s kind of when I was like, ‘Oh, wow. You’ve come a long way, and you’ve still got so far to go and so much more to prove.’”

Now, Mailata can afford a few more upscale hotel stays — he agreed to a three-year, $66 million contract extension with the Eagles on Thursday that kicks in when his current deal expires after the 2025 season. Mailata was in Italy when he was texted that an extension could be imminent. His agent handled the contract while Mailata focused his attention on the honeymoon.

The extension marks his third contract with the Eagles. Mailata’s eventual $22 million average annual value currently ranks fourth in the league among left tackles behind Laremy Tunsil, Andrew Thomas, and Trent Williams, and is a nice upgrade over his current contract ($16 million AAV).

Before Mailata’s extensions, he was playing on an entry-level contract that paid him just over $637,000 per year. A back injury sidelined him for his first two seasons with the team before he made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2020 season in relief of the injured Jack Driscoll. Three weeks later, the 6-foot-8, 365-pound Mailata earned his first start at left tackle against the San Francisco 49ers, a job that he never relinquished.

“[Heck], when I look back, I was telling myself I was ready,” Mailata said. “But was I really ready? Probably not. Back then, looking at, it’s just hard to when you ... now have gotten into a routine and you understand what to expect and the standard to play. Getting your number called is a tough thing, and it’s nerve-racking. So the only thing that I was thinking of, preparing myself for that game, was to not let your teammates down. That helped me feel prepared.”

He’s seldom let his teammates down since that first start. Over the past few years since Mailata signed his first extension in September 2021, he has developed into one of the top tackles in the league. Last season, Mailata conceded just three sacks on 687 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He was one of six starting tackles who allowed three or fewer.

When asked about the key to his rapid development, Mailata credited current and past teammates and coaches for molding him into the player he is today. The success of Mailata and the offensive line can be traced back to Jeff Stoutland, their coach since 2013. Stoutland “doesn’t accept mediocrity,” said the left tackle.

“It all starts with the coach that I have in that room right now and the culture that he set, so players like Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson can uphold and so that we can see, when I was coming up, you could see the standard of play that was expected in that room,” Mailata said. “So you either sink to the bottom or rise to the top. It’s because of Coach Stout.”

This upcoming season, the offensive line will face a major transition on and off the field following Kelce’s retirement. With one less veteran voice in the locker room, Mailata expressed a willingness to embrace any opportunity to lead his teammates, especially rookies the Eagles could draft later this month.

» READ MORE: Jordan Mailata’s journey from rugby to the Eagles surprised everyone. Especially his family.

Despite Kelce’s departure, Mailata is excited about the roster that Howie Roseman is in the process of building. Mailata said he was in Italy when he saw the news that the Eagles had signed star running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal. He let out a few curse words of excitement, pleased with Roseman’s handiwork as the Eagles look to rebound from a disappointing end to the 2023 season.

“I’m just looking forward to coming back here and building something that we can look forward to. Build on what we ended on last year,” Mailata said. “And just keep building on to what Philadelphia means. This city is a gritty and passionate city. If you don’t understand that as a player, you’re on the wrong team.”

While he may not have an abundance of time to reflect on his road to the NFL, Mailata doesn’t forget his origins. Long before he was one of the top-paid left tackles in the league, he pocketed a small game stipend playing rugby for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. His past keeps the present in perspective.

“I recognize the opportunity that I have every day when I step foot in this building,” Mailata said. “It’s an incredibly humbling one because I came from humble beginnings.

“When you recognize the opportunity that you have, you want to take full advantage of it, but you’ve also got to remember where you come from.”