In one of the true postseason awards travesties of all time, across all levels of football, offensive linemen almost never got considered for individual awards like MVP or Offensive Player of the Year.
It’s a ridiculous pretense to not hear their names called year after year — it’s not like saying they should win it every year — because anyone who knows football knows having a truly transcendent offensive lineman can lift a team and define a season.
The NFL is doing its best to right those wrongs moving forward. In 2025, the NFL will give out the first award specifically for the offensive line with the NFL Protector of the Year Award, and 2 players for the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are among the early favorites.
Philadelphia offensive right tackle Lane Johnson is at +750 odds to win the award, behind just Detroit’s Penei Sewell among the favorites.
“Even at 35 years old, Johnson continues to anchor one of the league’s best offensive lines with elite-level play,” PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote on July 2. “He posted a career-high 88.9 overall PFF grade in 2024, finishing top-10 among qualifying linemen in both pass-blocking (88.7) and run-blocking (85.4) grades. Johnson boasts one of the cleanest grading profiles of any tackle in football and remains a cornerstone of the Eagles’ top-ranked unit up front.”
Philadephia offensive left tackle Jordan Mailata was also among the favorites at +1500 odds.
“The 2024 season was a landmark year for Mailata, who earned PFF honors as not only the league’s best run blocker but also the highest-graded offensive lineman overall,” Cameron wrote. “His 95.2 PFF grade led the NFL by a wide margin and ranked as the second-highest recorded by PFF among all offensive linemen since 2015.”
Staggering Riches For Pair Of Eagles Stars
There is no one — NO ONE — who secures the bag for their offensive line like Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie.
Through the 2028 season, Lurie will have dropped a combined $356.5 million in career payouts to Johnson and Mailata, who are both under contract through then.
Johnson, who signed a 1-year, $25 million contract extension on March 17, is due an incredible $41.7 million in 2026 and will have $223.6 million in career earnings if he plays out his entire contract, which is a long shot as he’ll be 35 years old during the upcoming season. Johnson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, has won 2 Super Bowls with the Eagles. He’s also a 5-time NFL All-Pro and 6-time Pro Bowler.
Mailata signed a 3-year, $66 million contract extension in April 2024 and responded by earning NFL All-Pro honors for the first time.
Mailata and Johnson aren’t the only offensive linemen on the roster getting super-duper paid. Center Cam Jurgens also signed a massive deal with a 4-year, $68 million contract extension on April 21 after being selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2024.
Need more evidence Lurie values offensive linemen above all others? Right guard Landon Dickerson signed a 4-year, $84 million contract extension in March 2024.
If all 4 current offensive linemen play out their deals, Lurie will have paid them a combined $531 million in salary at the end of the 2029 season.
That buys a lot of pancakes.
