NFL 2021: Jordan Mailata eyes mega payday with Philadelphia Eagles

Former Norths and Souths player Jordan Mailata is on the verge of becoming one of Australia’s highest-paid sportspeople with an eye-watering new deal.

Jordan Mailata is a key player for the Philadelphia Eagles. Picture: Philadelphia Eagles

He once earned just $5000 a year playing rugby league with the North Sydney Bears. Now, former Souths under-20s player Jordan Mailata is eyeing an NFL contract worth up to $100m.

Mailata, 24, could soon sit among Australia’s highest-paid sportspeople, including Ben Simmons, Daniel Ricciardo, Joe Ingles, Jason Day and Patty Mills.

After a breakthrough 2020/21 season, Mailata is about to enter the final year of his current Philadelphia Eagles contract and is locked in a two-man shootout to become their premier left tackle.

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That position would come with a price tag of around $20m a year.

Given the investment and commitment Philadelphia has injected into the Australian star, former NFL star Colin Scotts has no doubt the Eagles would offer Mailata a contract spanning three to five years. That equates to a possible deal worth between $60m to $100m.

Jordan Mailata is set for a big payday with his next NFL contract.

Bankstown-born Mailata played junior rugby league as a front-rower with Canterbury and Souths, the Rabbitohs paying him $5000 a season to play under-20s with then feeder club, North Sydney. He also played for Five Dock in the Balmain A-Grade competition.

Mailata will this season compete with 2019 round-one draft pick Andre Dillard for the left tackle spot – and a big-money contract.

“Jordan is physically gifted – six foot, eight inches, 330, 340 pounds – he’s a freak athlete,” Scotts said. “That is big even in American terms. He is also so co-ordinated.

“There is a contract there and, from what I can gather, Philadelphia are ready for him to stand up and be their left tackle, which would be a major accomplishment. Offensive tackles are signing up for $20m (a year). The money is off the charts.”

San Francisco’s Trent Williams is the NFL’s highest-paid left tackle at $31.5 million a year, while eight other left tackles earn more than $20m a season.

“He is the player protecting the team’s most important and valued asset, the quarterback. So the value of a good left tackle is priceless.

“For his size, and the progression he has shown, Jordan could be worth $20m a year. That would put him right up there among the highest-paid athletes in Australian history, and deservedly so. Good on him.

“His deal would be three to five years. He may be unproven in some people’s eyes, so probably three years, but possibly five given they have invested heavily in him.

“There is no limit on an offensive left tackle. It is one of the most important positions — right up there behind quarterback.

Jordan Mailata played under-20s for Souths before embarking on his NFL journey.

“Jordan is showing kids in Australia that you can reach the highest pinnacle.”

Mailata’s manager and Pacific Sports Management director, Chris Orr, added: “Jordan has been, and is on, a tremendous journey from his Souths under-20s days to starting position at the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team.

“This upcoming season is a continuation of that journey which I hope is a very successful season, one that continues to see him develop his game into the NFL player he has worked so incredibly hard to become.”

Then Souths recruitment manager Ben Rogers remembered first meeting Mailata in 2017.

“When he came to us back then, I met him in a cafe, he was 168kg,” Rogers said. “He was a big man. He looked eight-foot tall when you stood next to him.

“We offered him a $5000 contract to train with Norths. Even now, he is very humble and thankful for what we did for him back then.”

The NRL season kicks off on September 10, when Philadelphia play the Atlanta Falcons.

Jordan Mailata is set for a big season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Picture: Philadelphia Eagles

The Philly website read: “Mailata went from a really cool Australia-to-the-NFL story to a young offensive lineman who responded well to playing time in his third season.

“As a result, the Eagles have what they wanted: a good, old-fashioned battle for the starting job at left tackle between two quality young talents.”

Mailata was selected by Philly in the 2018 draft, despite having never played NFL.

Interviewed for the Eagles website, Mailata said: “The big thing with me is confidence and improving every day I‘m out there. I’m going to keep progressing and challenging myself every day.

“It doesn‘t matter how good of a year I’ve had, or how bad a year I had, I always come back and challenge myself in that way. It always comes down to who is the best man for the job.

“My mantra is to get better every day. I said that from the day I stepped in, to the day I leave. That‘s my number one thing to do every day, to get one per cent better every day. Hard work always takes care of hard work. If I focus on that, the rest will take care of itself.”