The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Saturday afternoon that they have agreed to a four-year contract extension with Jordan Mailata, the former rugby player turned left tackle who the Eagles took a flier on in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
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A mere six and a half weeks ago, Mailata entered Eagles training camp set to compete for the starting LT job against Andre Dillard. It was never a contest, as Dillard faltered early, and Mailata looked like a long-term answer at the most important spot along the offensive line.
Now he's mega rich, as several media outlets are reporting the four year deal is worth $64 million, just under $41 million of which is guaranteed, with incentives that can bring the total amount to $80 million.
There are seven other left tackles in the NFL that are making at least $16 million per year, per OverTheCap.com:
| Player | AAV |
| Trent Williams, 49ers (33) | $23,010,000 |
| David Bakhtiari, Packers (30) | $23,000,000 |
| Laremy Tunsil, Texans (27) | $22,000,000 |
| Ronnie Stanley, Ravens (27) | $19,750,000 |
| Kolton Miller, Raiders (26) | $18,005,000 |
| Garret Bolles, Broncos (29) | $17,000,000 |
| Taylor Lewan, Titans (30) | $16,000,000 |
The Eagles have demonstrated over the years that they place a high value on the left tackle position, and this is the latest example. There's some risk involved in this deal. Mailata proved during the 2020 season that he belongs in the NFL as a starter, and he improved as the season progressed, but he has not yet played a full season as a starting LT.
There's also risk in not doing a deal with him sooner than later. If you look at the chart above, Trent Williams is making over $23 million per year on a six-year deal, a contract he earned this offseason on the open market at the age of 33. If Mailata proves to be a very good starting LT in 2021, his four-year deal worth $16 million at the age of 24 will look like a major bargain, comparatively speaking.
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