Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Mailata has earned his contract extension

When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Jordan Mailata to a new contract, it felt fairly risky.

Sure, Mailata played pretty darn well for the Eagles in 2020, even if Doug Pederson opted to bench the first-time offensive tackle for a few games in the middle of the season, but was a 15 game sample size with only 10 starts really enough to give the Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia native a long-term contract with $40.85 million in guaranteed money?

Fast forward three months into the future, and Mailata’s contract already looks like a bargain.

So, since offensive linemen rarely get their shine, let’s take a step back and appreciate just how much of an asset Jordan Mailata has been to the Philadelphia Eagles in only his second season as a starting left tackle at any level of organized football.

The Philadelphia Eagles have to be happy with Jordan Mailata’s development.

Through the first 12 games of the 2021 NFL season, Jordan Mailata has played every single offensive snap for the Philadelphia Eagles.

He’s been on the field for 336 passing downs, 312 rushing plays, and even logged 41 snaps on special teams, where he’s helped out on field goals/extra-point attempts.

Against the pass rush, Mailata has been an absolute beast. He’s only allowed two sacks on 336 downs, good for a .59 sack rate, and generally showed out incredibly well as Jalen Hurts‘ blindside protector. Factor in a few imposing pancake blocks for good measure and the fact that his preseason/training camp left guard counterpart, Isaac Seumalo, has been on IR since Week 4, and Mailata’s ability to keep the pocket clean and his quarterback upright has to be one of the highlights of his game so far this season.

The other highlight? His absolutely unreal ability to impact the game on running plays.

As you’ve surely heard a few times before, Mailata is like a human wrecking ball as a lead blocker. Despite being one of the biggest players in the NFL at 6-foot-8, 365 pounds, Mailata ran a 5.12 40-yard dash and a 4.67-second short shuffle at his Pro Day, and believe you me, that translates onto the field in the best possible way. Whether serving as a lead blocker on outside zones or pushing players up into the second and even third level of the field on runs between the tackles, Mailata can pretty much impose his will when it comes to pushing bodies forward, with enough athleticism to keep his legs moving until he hears the whistle.

Need proof? Look no further than the play below, which technically isn’t a run play but shows just how powerful Mailata can be when he wants to hit someone.

I know, I know, it’s tough to rewatch that drive-killing interception, but did you know that Jordan Mailata hit New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes so hard that he sent the second-year UCLA cornerback to the hospital with a rib injury (as per Pat Gallen of CBS)? The Giants had to place Holmes on IR because of that play, which is both incredibly unfortunate and just a sheer breathtaking feat by an Australian former rugby player whose favorite musician is reportedly Bon Jovi.

Sidebar: Bon Jovi has some good tunes, but that’s certainly a choice. I mean, has he ever heard of Bruce Springsteen?

When the Philadelphia Eagles initially drafted Jordan Mailata 233rd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, few expected we’d ever get here. Sure, I would imagine Howie Roseman was hoping he’d stumble on the next Alejandro Villanueva, a player he had under contract but allowed him to leave for nothing, but who could have ever guessed Mailata would outperform the former Army Ranger in only his second actual season on the field? If Jordan Mailata can just continue to play at this level for the next three-plus seasons, the entire organization should consider his contract money well spent. But if Mailata can take his game up a notch, which is totally possible, considering he’s only 24-years-old? Well, $80 million might just look like a steal.