- The Philadelphia star signed a new three-year extension
- He is ranked as one of the best players in the NFL at his position.
- He has earned a huge pay rise over his current lucrative deal.
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Australian NFL star Jordan Mailata has taken his earnings into the stratosphere, signing a three-year mega extension that will net him $100 million.
Mailata and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to the extension that will take him through the end of the 2028 season with new earnings of $33 million per season.
It will be a significant boost to his current $24 million per season contract that still has two years remaining and dwarfs the three-year, $13 million deal that Australian punter Cameron Johnston recently signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. .
The former NRL junior from South Sydney is now the fourth-highest-paid left tackle in the NFL, cementing his position in the competition even though the 27-year-old has yet to make the Pro Bowl.
Jordan Mailata (pictured with fiancee Niki Ikahihifo-Bender) will now earn a whopping $33 million per season in his new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 203cm tall, 142kg offensive tackle has had a meteoric rise in the sport after leaving his NRL career for the chance to find fame and fortune in the NFL.
It also caps an impressive journey for Mailata, who did not play in a single game in his first two NFL seasons on the Eagles’ roster after being selected with the 233rd pick in the 2018 draft before starting 10 games. in 2020. He then beat We drafted Andre Dillard in the first round in 2021 to be the Eagles’ starting left tackle.
Over the past three seasons, Mailata has started 47 games and was part of the Philadelphia team that lost the 2023 Super Bowl.
But as surprising as that huge new deal is, it still doesn’t make him the highest-paid Australian sports star.
According to Forbes’ list of the highest-earning golfers of 2023, Cameron Smith grossed $115 million last year, although that figure was greatly inflated by his lucrative LIV rebel tour deal.
NBA star Ben Simmons will earn $60 million with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2024-25 season, according to Spotrac, which tracks player paydays in major American sports.
However, Mailata has moved ahead of F1 star Daniel Ricciardo, who earned $36 million with McLaren in 2022 but took a pay cut to drive for the RB team this season.
Mailata’s incredible payday was still not enough to put him ahead of golfer Cameron Smith (pictured) on the Australian sports rich list.
He’s also behind NBA star Ben Simmons (pictured), who is winning with the Brooklyn Nets despite suffering a horrendous stretch due to injury.
However, the grid star has surpassed F1’s Daniel Ricciardo in the stakes.
Sydney player Mailata first came to prominence in rugby league, catching the eye of the Bulldogs NRL team’s scouts and joining their under-18 program in 2014.
After a health problem kept him out of the game for over 18 months, he ended up playing for South Sydney’s under-20 and reserve teams before his size of 203cm and 142kg made him unsuitable for the sport. at the highest level. .
He came to the NFL’s International Pathways Program and adapted to the field so well that he signed an $88 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 after excelling as their left tackle on the offensive line, one of the most important and difficult positions to play. . the sport.
Mailata starred for the NRL’s South Sydney Rabbitohs (pictured) before taking a big risk by switching from football to a sport he had never played before.
“I think I have a lot to improve in my game,” Mailata said at the end of the 2023 campaign.
‘Every day I work with Stout (offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland) and he points out parts of what I’m doing that can be improved. I take everything he says seriously.
‘He is the one who made me what I am today. Whatever he says, I’m going to do it.
‘For me everything is day to day. I love being a part of this team and the fans are a big part of what we do. Nothing is going to change that mentality.”