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It seems odd to predict the future contract of a player who is fighting for a starting job, but the British media loves stirring the pot. And Jordan Mailata – the promising young left tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles – is their new 6-foot-8, 346-pound mixing bowl.
The Daily Telegraph believes Mailata is about to join Ben Simmons, Jason Day, Patty Mills as one of “Australia’s highest-paid sportspeople” after his breakout 2020 campaign. The former Aussie rugby star was impressive in 10 starts last season filling in for injured left tackle Andre Dillard. Now it appears that eye-opening tryout could net Mailata up to $100 million, or $20 million per year.
Colin Scotts, a third-round pick of the Cardinals in 1987, shared his thoughts on Mailata’s upcoming contract negotiations in a recent interview. He reported the Eagles are ready for him to take over at left tackle and prepared to throw a boatload of money at the 24-year-old.
Interesting. Here is what Scotts told The Daily Telegraph:
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.
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.
Scotts added that Mailata’s deal would most likely be for three years, but possibly five depending on how the position battle plays out at training camp. Remember, Mailata and Dillard are due to fight it out once the Eagles put on the pads this week in South Philly.
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Mailata Embracing Competition at Camp
There will be unspoken position battles (Dallas Goedert vs. Zach Ertz) and fake position battles (Jalen Hurts vs. Joe Flacco) when Eagles’ training camp opens on July 28. Then there is the real one everyone has admitted to wanting to see, including offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland: Mailata vs. Dillard. The winner will be the starter in Week 1.
“There is definitely one,” Stoutland said of the Mailata-Dillard battle. “I think anytime there is competition like that, and it is that close, it brings the best out of both players. Both players have to be on every day, all day because it is competition.”
And Mailata wouldn’t want it any other way. The young Aussie has compared his football journey to “chasing a bag of peanuts” over the years. Ultimately, he wants to own the peanut factory.
“I think every year it’s always been a competition, that’s how I viewed it,” Mailata told reporters on June 3. “There’s always competition every year, and I think that Coach [Sirianni] coming in and saying that for all position groups is a no brainer. I’m still trying to prove to myself that I am a dominant left tackle in this league and not a rugby player anymore.”
Manager Comments on Client’s Journey
It’s been quite the journey for the former seventh-round pick (233rd overall) who never play organized American football before getting drafted by the Eagles in 2018. He was earning $5,000 a year playing rugby in Australia before taking his talents overseas to Philadelphia. His manager, Chris Orr of Pacific Sports Management, commented on Mailata’s remarkable evolution into a starting-caliber left tackle.
“Jordan has been, and is on, a tremendous journey from his Souths under-20s days to starting position at the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team,” Orr told The Daily Telegraph. “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.”
Orr shared that Mailata weighed “168kg” (370 pounds) when he first met him. He’s officially listed at 346 pounds in the Eagles’ most current media guide.
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