Eagles Jordan Mailata: From "Lost Boy" To Super Bowl Champion

Jordan Mailata admits he was a “lost boy.” Not in the Peter Pan sense, because, well, Mailata is 6-8, 380.

He was reflecting on his NFL journey, from the day he arrived as a seventh-round draft pick, when he struggled to put on his pads for the first time, to a Super Bowl champion, who had no struggles at all against the Kansas City Chiefs defensive front in a 40-22, Super Bowl LIX triumph.

On the day before the Eagles’ championship parade, he spent about 10 minutes discussing his evolution from rugby player to NFL standout.

“Everyone has struggles,” he laughed when asked about those early days when putting on shoulder pads for the first time felt like solving a Rubik’s Cube. “Everyone struggles the first time. I just didn’t know. I was a lost boy.”

Mailata has become one of the best left tackles in the NFL despite never playing the game until he was 19. Now, on the brink of turning 28 on March 31, Mailata’s quest to be known as a football player and football player only continues.

“I feel like I had to prove myself every day, to myself and then to my teammates,” he said. “I think I have. Still trying to cement myself as a football player and not be compared to, ‘Oh yeah, he’s the rugby player, right?’

“The key to greatness is consistency. So, I’m already looking forward to next season to see if I can better this one or match it.”

When he arrived as the 233rd overall player drafted seven years ago, he said some undrafted free agents weren’t happy with him because, he said, “I was drafted and never played a down of football. Those were good times.”

Mailata soon proved he could play a lot of downs. Like all of them. In Super Bowl LIX, he and Landon Dickerson were the only two offensive players who played every snap. Even when the game became a blowout and reserves began to get sprinkled into the game with less than five minutes to go, he and Dickerson remained in.

Mailata is the product of his desire to improve with help from line coach Jeff Stoutland and teammates such as Lane Johnson and Dickerson, and past teammate Jason Peters.

“My development, how I see it, is a community project,” he said. “It’s not just Stout. Stout is a big part of it – a huge part of it – but without the guys who were here when I was coming up and me seeing them extending an arm out, all I had to do was meet them there. It wasn’t easy, but (bleep), they made it reachable.”

Something about the Eagles and left tackles. There just isn’t much turnover at that spot. They had Tra Thomas from 1998-2009 who was followed by Peters from 09-2020. Now it’s Malaita and he will be here through at least 2028 after signing a contract extension last year that will carry a salary-cap charge of $15.7 million this season.