Why Super Bowl champion Jordan Mailata doesn’t want anyone to follow in his footsteps

By Elijah Fa'afiu

Jordan Mailata regularly blocks for quarterbacks and running backs for a living.

The Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle also wants to block any pressure that may face the next generation of American football hopefuls across New Zealand and Australia.

The Sydney-born Samoan lineman - who has become the NFL’s ambassador for the Australasian region – is in Auckland to provide a boost to flag football’s ascent across the region.

More than 100 primary and intermediate kids gathered at College Rifles Rugby Club to try their hand at the fast-growing non-contact sport, rotating around drills aimed at catching, throwing and ripping tags off their adversaries.

Mailata has a rags-to-riches story that most Hollywood scriptwriters couldn’t conjure up.

The former Australian rugby league convert learned how to play gridiron in 2018 and went on to become a Super Bowl LIX champion and one of the premier players in his position.

The 28-year-old’s backing of flag football comes from his desire for kids to have an easier pathway to success, rather than go down his unconventional route to the United States.

“I would say bridging the gap has probably been the biggest mission for flag,” he said. “It’s not as complex as football. It’s a great way to understand route concepts, the basics of the game and to pique interest.”

Mailata’s advice is clear to the children: “Make your own shoes, you don’t have to fill my shoes. You’re walking your own journey”.

“The beauty of them being young is they have a lot of time to figure out what they want to do. If it’s in sports, if it’s in school, they have a lot of time.”

The lineman knows more than most about the pressure of replacing a long-term fixture on a sports team.

It’s a natural development of any roster cycle. A player gets injured, leaves a team or retires and the heat is heaped on the next person on the depth chart to meet the expectations set by their predecessor.

“I hate it when people say that because I had to answer to filling the shoes of the left tackle, who was a 9-time Pro Bowler,” Mailata says.

His first NFL start in 2020 followed an injury to former Super Bowl champion Jason Peters, who the Australian would eventually usurp on the depth chart.

Questions were raised about the raw prospect and whether he could live up to the man he replaced.

Mailata recalls his response: “I told them I’m not here to fill his shoes, I’m here to make my own.”

For a player who nearly two months ago experienced the highs of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Mailata remains grounded with his newfound triumph.

When asked whether life has changed since becoming a Super Bowl champion: “I think in Philly for sure. I think facial recognition’s grown a lot more,” Mailata said.

“But I like to keep it sane and so does my wife. I still remain deeply rooted in the community and I’m not doing anything bigger or better than anyone, I’m just me.”

Mailata’s natural charisma and outgoing manner make him an attraction to the public – to go with his towering 6-foot-8 (203cm), 166kg frame – so there’s no need for him to play protector off the field.

“As long as people show me respect, I have all day to talk to you. Just don’t cross that line.”

The most shocking part of our conversation is the revelation that it’s Mailata’s first visit to New Zealand.

“You were only a few hours away [from New Zealand],” I tell the Australian, who confirmed his allegiance by telling the children in a Q&A session that he supported the Wallabies and the Wests Tigers growing up.

“I only had a few dollars to my name back then,” the $166 million-dollar tackle chuckles.

“I’ve got a lot of family here. My three older siblings were born and raised in New Zealand and my younger brother and I were born in Australia, so that’s about all the connection I have here.”

After a busy offseason involving weddings and business trips, Mailata’s ready to get stuck into another season in the pursuit of back-to-back Super Bowl rings, and to create running lanes for tailback and reigning Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley.

“Us five [offensive linemen] up front and Saquon running behind us, we’re all on the same page and I’ve never had a connection like that.

“I’ve played with some great running backs, but I think that’s what separates Saquon and everyone else I’ve played with or blocked for.

“You just tell him one thing and he does it, because we learn from the mistakes, we bounce off the communication, it’s the only way I can explain, it’s special.”

Before Mailata opens a platform for his star running back to thrive, his priority lies in setting up the next generation of hopefuls for success and ensuring they avoid the tribulations of his less-trodden path to the NFL.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission