Jordan Mailata named Eagles' Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award nominee
Left tackle Jordan Mailata was named the Philadelphia Eagles' nominee for the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the team announced Thursday. Mailata's nomination is the first of his career.
Mailata, drafted in 2018 out of Australia as a rugby player, has developed into one of the NFL's top left tackles. He earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2024, helping anchor an Eagles offensive line that helped Saquon Barkley eclipse 2,000 yards on the ground. He received a 96.9 grade from Pro Football Focus during the Birds' Super Bowl-winning season.
"I'm honored, man," Mailata said in a video posted on social media. "Thank you for the nomination, everyone at the Philadelphia Eagles. And Go Birds!"
Off the field, Mailata has entrenched himself in the Philadelphia community. Since 2019, Mailata and his wife, Niki, have worked with the Philadelphia Children's Alliance. He also supports the American Association for Cancer Research — he picked the organization as his charity for his My Cause My Cleats this year. The Aussie is also heavily involved in the Eagles Autism Foundation.
"Outstanding leader. A great desire to help others. A great desire to help his teammates. An infectious personality that you crave to be around," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said about Mailata during a Thursday press conference. "Highly talented man. It's pretty amazing. His story is pretty amazing."
A man of many talents, Mailata has also joined Lane Johnson and Birds legend Jason Kelce to record three holiday albums as the Philly Specials. Johnson and Kelce have also been nominated in the past for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
Money from Philly Special holiday album sales has totaled more than $10 million for local charities, and a third album helped surprise students in the Philadelphia public school system with holiday gifts.
"Jordan Malaita's recognition as a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year club winner is truly well deserved and speaks to his profound impact, both on and off the field," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a press release.
NFL teams pick one player each year to nominate for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which is given to a player based on their contributions on and off the field. Only three Eagles have won the award: Chris Long, Troy Vincent and Harold Carmichael.
The winner of the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award will be announced in the week running up to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California.