“We’re not defending s***!” Eagles’ Jordan Mailata sends strong message

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off of a stellar season that saw them finish as Super Bowl champions, defeating the two-time champs, Kansas City Chiefs. But the past is the past.

That season is over and a new season is about to begin and Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata is setting the tone.

“We’re not defending champs.”

Mailata is rejecting the label of “defending champions” following the team’s Super Bowl victory. Speaking to reporters, Mailata emphasized that last season’s title means nothing now, stressing a “mission-focused” mindset:

“We’re not defending nothing. We’re not the defending champs. We’re the 2024 world champs, that’s it,” said Mailata. “We’re not defending s***… I don’t like hearing like, ‘oh, we’re the defending champions’... We just won the title, and now we’ve got to go and win it again. Prove it all over again.”

Fun to hear an Aussie call the Eagles “world” champs. He’s integrated!

Quarterback Jalen Hurts echoed this approach, calling 2025 “a new journey” and urging teammates to focus on the present rather than the past.

Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia, has become a key figure for the Eagles. Drafted in 2018, he signed a $66 million contract extension last year and was recently ranked the No. 1 offensive lineman in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, with a historic 95.1 grade.

The Eagles’ leaders are clearly aiming to avoid complacency, making it clear that last season’s success is over, and the next one starts now.

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