Jordan Mailata looks to add to first milestone of his Eagles career

It isn’t quite the same level of fairy tale as what we saw from Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, but it’s close. The Philadelphia Eagles selected Jordan Mailata in the seventh round of the 2018 draft thanks to the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. He was the 233rd-overall selection. It was a nice story, but it wasn’t earth-shattering. None of us knew at the time that things would turn out in the manner that they have.

Philly’s decision to take a flier on the former rugby star seemed like a decision that shouldn’t have led to much. Guys who are taken in Round 7 often have minimal chances of success anyway. At most, maybe Philly might find a decent reserve or a nice role player.

Plus, there was really no reason to be excited. Think about it. The Eagles signed another former rugby player as an undrafted free agent just one year earlier in 2017, Adam Zaruba. They tried to turn him into an NFL tight end. Let’s just say it didn’t work.

Mailata seemed different though, and as it turns out, he was and still is. He took his lumps. He got murdered in training camp over and over again by just about anyone that lined up across from him. He stood firm though, and here we are.

Jordan Mailata is the Philadelphia Eagles starting tackle, but that isn’t all. He recently reached a milestone, one he’ll look to add to in Week 7 and the weeks to come.

Jordan Mailata sits at 1,000 NFL snaps and counting.

It’s hard to do anything 1,000 times, especially when you had never done it at all prior to a little over three years ago. By being drafted, Jordan Mailata became only the second player to be drafted that had no American high school or college experience. German-born Moritz Böhringer, who spent time with the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals was the first.

Six games into the 2021-2022 regular season, he’s reached a milestone, 1,000 NFL snaps. It’s a fact that hasn’t been lost on anyone, especially the citizens of his home country. Take a look.

https://twitter.com/NFLAustralia/status/1451001815416197121

It seems like forever ago, but Jordan Mailata’s rookie deal was a four-year deal worth $2.5 million. His signing bonus was $89,392. He’s stayed the course. He’s fought his way to the top, and he was rewarded, on September 11th, with a four-year extension, one that’s worth $64 million. That includes $40.85 million in guaranteed money.

Not a bad job at all by the 24-year-old. Somewhere, his former teammates with the South Sydney Rabbitohs are smiling.