Eagles Sign Jordan Mailata to 4-Year Extension
Jordan Mailata has started just 10 NFL games since being drafted in the seventh-round of the 2018 draft.
On Saturday day, he was rewarded with a new contract.
The Eagles signed their 24-year-old left tackle to a multi-year extension, locking up the former rugby star with a four-year, $64 million contract extension, which includes $40.9 million guaranteed and can reach $80 million in total value with incentives.
The announcement comes one day before the start of the 2021 season.
Mailata, a seventh-round pick out of Australia in 2018, never played college or any organized football before being drafted by the Eagles.
He never appeared in an NFL game, spending his first two seasons on IR, until last season when he started 10 games.
For all the season-ending injuries that befell the Eagles’ offensive line last season, Mailata was given the chamce to show what he could do.
Mailata had a year remaining on the four-year contract he signed as a rookie in 2018.
The fact that he predates head coach Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia shows the confidence they have in locking him up.
While it would have been reasonable for the Eagles to want to see a second season of Maulata at left tackle before committing big money to him over the long term, that approach would have carried risk. The Eagles could have either gotten priced out by a offensive line market that has become inflated in recent seasons or they could have been the ones paying the free-agent premium if he was to have a dominant season at a premium position.
By extending him now, the Eagles get a bit of a discount along with some long-awaited continuity along their offensive line.
Mailata is slated to start along side Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson.
What does this deal mean for former first-round pick Andre Dillard?
It appears his future in Philly is murky at best, with a trade a strong possibility.