What an excellent find by the Eagles.........but every team probably have a couple of starters like this.
Philadelphia Eagles[edit]
Mailata was selected by the
Philadelphia Eagles with the 233rd overall pick in the seventh round of the
2018 NFL draft.
[13] He became the second player to be selected with no American high school or college experience (the first being German
Moritz Böhringer), following the path of fellow rugby league convert
Jarryd Hayne. Mailata signed a four-year deal worth $2.5 million with a signing bonus of $89,392.
[14]
Mailata said that the biggest mental hurdle when transitioning from the rugby league to the NFL was the extensive playbook. He stated that when he first started
training camp with the Eagles, he was handed a playbook and that it felt like "a different language."
[15] On 1 September 2018, Mailata made the initial 53-man roster for the Eagles.
[16] On 14 December, Mailata was placed on
injured reserve after sustaining a back injury categorised as a
stress fracture, which ended his rookie season before appearing in any games.
[17]
After missing the first two games of the 2019 season with a back injury, Mailata spent another season on
injured reserve starting 21 September 2019.
[18]
Mailata was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 list by the Eagles on 29 July 2020.
[19] He was activated from the list on 13 August.
[20] On 13 September, Mailata made his NFL debut against the
Washington Football Team, replacing injured rookie
Jack Driscoll in the third quarter.
[21] Mailata made his first start for the Eagles in Week 4 of the 2020 season against the
San Francisco 49ers, filling in for injured
Jason Peters.
[22][23] On 1 November against the
Dallas Cowboys, Mailata sustained a
concussion in a helmet-to-helmet hit from
Jaylon Smith.
[24] On 2 January 2021, Mailata was deemed unable to play against Washington due to the concussion, ending Mailata's season playing in 15 appearances with 10 starts for the Eagles.
[25] Mailata ended the 2020 season as a top-15 offensive tackle in the NFL from Week 11, as graded by
Pro Football Focus.
[26] Over the course of the 2020 season, Mailata led the Eagles in fewest sacks allowed amongst offensive linemen (7). He also led Eagles'
offensive linemen in pass pro snaps with 502, equating to a pass pro snaps per
sack score of 71.7, which was third-best on the team behind
Lane Johnson and
Jack Driscoll.
[27]
On 31 August 2021, Eagles' head coach
Nick Sirianni named Mailata the starting left tackle for the 2021 NFL season.
[28] On 11 September, Mailata signed a four-year,
USD$64 million contract including $40.85 million guaranteed.
[29]
Mailata helped the Eagles reach
Super Bowl LVII where they lost to the
Kansas City Chiefs 38–35.
[30]
His success has seen him frequently described by the media as a human "wrecking ball".
[31][32][33]
On 4 April 2024, Mailata signed a three-year, $66 million extension that includes $48 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus. His contract extension will keep him with the team through the 2028 season. His new extension puts him behind only
Laremy Tunsil,
Trent Williams and
Andrew Thomas amongst the NFL’s highest-paid offensive tackles.
[34]