Jordan Mailata will become first Australian to play in two Super Bowls after NFC Championship game win

He signed a $100m contract last year, but the ultimate goal is now within Jordan Mailata’s reach again as his stunning NFL career continues.

Australian NFL star Jordan Mailata will take the “chip” he’s been carrying on his shoulder since a Super Bowl defeat two years ago with him to New Orleans after he and his Philadelphia Eagles earnT themselves a shot at redemption.

Mailata will become the first Australian to play in two Super Bowls after the Eagles smashed the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC conference championship game to set-up a rematch with the the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on February 9.

The 27-year-old giant, who has become a key cog in the Eagles’ offence and is regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in the game, signed a three-year, $100m contract extension last year, making him one of Australia’s highest-paid athletes.

But money is not driving him.

Instead, Mailata will get his chance at redemption after losing 38-35 to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago as they go for three championships in a row after a heartstopping 32-29 win over Buffalo.

Jordan Mailata after clinching another trip to the Super Bowl, was able to get on FaceTime with his mom and dad in Australia pic.twitter.com/cdipxv9Ips

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 26, 2025

Mailata said he and his teammates had been carrying a chip on their shoulder ever since the 2022 loss and would seek “greatness” this time.

“You can’t count us out. No one should ever count us out,” Mailata said in the post-game euphoria.

“A lot of people on this team will have the same chip I have on my shoulder. Tonight we proved we are going to continue showing up for each other.

“We always speak about you can’t be great without the greatness of others and that showed tonight. We just kept going.

“We let one slip away in ’22 and all I am thinking about is finishing the job.”

Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata are off to the Super Bowl. Picture: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images/AFP

In the wake of the victory, in which the Eagles racked up the biggest score ever in an NFC Championship game, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni labelled star quarterback Jalen Hurts, the man Mailata is paid to protect, a “stud” after he rushed in three touchdowns as part of his bumper game.

“How about our quarterback? He’s a stud,” Sirianni said.

“I knew he was going to play that way. I knew it, don’t doubt him – all he does is win.”

Hurts admitted to having a “challenging” and “in some ways exhausting” lead-in, as he revealed he’d been dealing with an illness before the Washington game , but he put on a stunning display, taking the Eagles to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons.

“In a sense, I think this game chose me and this position chose me,” Hurts said when asked about handling a reduced role as a passer for much of the season. “To be able to come this far and have these opportunities in front us, you just want to take advantage of them.

“But I’ve never been motivated by achieving the personal things, personal goals. All of those things come when you put the work in, have the right mentality and embrace what the group’s mission is. And the mission is to win.”

Mailata is aiming for redemption. Picture Mitchell Leff/Getty Images/AFP

Mailata is the fourth Australian to play in a Super Bowl, following punters Ben Graham (Arizona, 2009), Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco, 2020) and Siposs, but the first to get to the main game twice.

Only one Australian, Jesse Williams, has a Super Bowl ring after being part of the Seattle Seahawks roster in their 2014 triumph. But he didn’t play during the season because of injury.