Jordan Mailata press conference, Philadelphia Eagles defending champions, Super Bowl LIX, video
Philadelphia offensive tackle Jordan Mailata doesn’t want the Eagles to be referred to as “defending champs” ahead of the 2025 NFL campaign, declaring that last season’s triumph “doesn’t matter anymore”.
In February, the Eagles secured their second Super Bowl title after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 at Caesars Superdome.
But speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Australian Mailata offered some insight into Philadelphia’s “mission-focused” mentality ahead of the 2025 season.
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“Whatever we did last year, that’s in the rear-view mirror, that doesn’t matter anymore,” Mailata said.
“We’re not defending nothing. We’re not the defending champs. We’re the 2024 world champs and that’s it.
“We’re not defending s***. Sorry, we’re not.
“We just won the title, and now we’ve got to go and win it all over again, and that’s the mentality this team is going to have.
“We’re not here to prove anything to anyone else but ourselves, and we know the mission. We’re mission-focused.
“That’s our approach, and I’m so proud of everyone here, because they’re buying into what we’re selling.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts echoed his teammates sentiments: “It’s a new journey. It’s a new season, and those things are far behind us.
“The past is behind us, and the future is too far away, so we have to stay present and worry about right now.”
Mailata was selected by Philadelphia with the 233rd pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Last year, he signed a three-year, US$66 million (AU$100 million) contract extension with the Eagles.
Recently, sports analytics company Pro Football Focus, which analyses enormous volumes of data and ranks players across the NFL, ranked Mailata as the No. 1 offensive lineman in the sport and the 11th player overall. His grading of 95.1 is the second-highest ever handed to an offensive lineman.
