Jordan Mailata was 18 when he sat down to watch Beyoncé perform in the half time show of the 2016 Super Bowl.
Growing up in rugby league heartland of Bankstown, he knew nothing else about the NFL or American football. Not the rules, not the history of the sport. He barely knew who was playing as the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10.
A decade on, he’s on a fat contract worth $100 million, and on Monday morning (AEDT) will become the first Australian to play in two Super Bowls as his Philadelphia Eagles attempt to stop a Kansas City Chiefs three-peat.
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His offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland calls Mailata’s the “greatest story in football”.
”I cannot believe how far I’ve come. I can’t believe I’m still here. I can’t believe I’m sitting at this desk with you guys right now at my second Super Bowl,” Mailata told reporters this week.
“Hopefully, we can finish the job.”
Less than two years after watching that Beyoncé performance, he gave up on league and moved to the other side of the world having never played a single gridiron game.
Mailata was working for McDonald’s, Woolies and occasionally as a labourer when he moved to Florida in late 2017 to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway – an intense 10-week crash-course on all things gridiron. It involves both classroom and fieldwork, and the successful students get the opportunity to make an NFL roster.
“I thought, if it doesn’t work out, it’s enough to just go back to my odd jobs and chasing my rugby dreams, but that’s really all it was, and I couldn’t have done it without my family,” Mailata said.
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“(They were) a little hesitant at first and the idea, but they came around, and they’ve supported me and they’ve always made sure that I have somewhere to fall if everything were to fail, and that’s probably a big part of my success.”
A towering 203cm and weighing 166kg, the Eagles picked him up in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft. He played his first game in the Eagles’ pre-season four months later.
Most his teammates started learning and playing the game virtually as soon as they learned to walk. Mailata did not.
Not that you could tell, anyway.
“This is a guy – never having played football, being able to come in the league and within seven years, establish himself as, I believe, one of the best – if not the best – left tackles in the game right now,” Landon Dickerson, Mailata’s close friend and fellow offensive lineman, told CNN.
“You know, people don’t really understand, right? A lot of us, we start playing football at four or five years old, so by the time you get to the league, you’ve had 16, 17 years of experience.
“The ability that he had to be able to come in and start from nothing and learn and become what he’s become is extremely impressive.
“Regardless of whatever sport you look at, you can go take his story and put it into any sport that becomes – you know, it’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Mailata will become the first Aussie to play in a winning Super Bowl, but the second Aussie to earn one, should the Eagles end the Kansas City Chief’s quest for a third-straight Super Bowl.
Jesse Williams got a ring with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 but injury meant he did not play a match.
What time is the Super Bowl in Australia?
Monday February 10
NSW, ACT, Vic, Tas: 10.30am
QLD: 9.30am
SA: 10.00am
NT: 9am
WA: 7.30am
Where is the Super Bowl being played?
The 2025 Super Bowl is being played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
This will be the eighth time the venue has held the Super Bowl, having previously done so in 1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002 and 2013.
The Philadelphia Eagles played in the 1981 Super Bowl held at this venue, but lost to the Oakland Raiders 27-10.
Super Bowl 2025 odds
SportsBet odds correct 12.30pm Friday February 7
Kansas: $1.83 | Philadelphia: $2.02
Who is playing in the 2025 halftime show?
Kendrick Lamar will headline the 2025 show, with special guest SZA.
How much are Super Bowl tickets?
The cheapest tickets to the 2025 Super Bowl are $4,771.82 (US$3,000) on the terrace – the stadium’s upper level.
The NFL was also offering packages that cost about $10,700 ($US6,700), which included a ticket, food and drinks, meet-and-greets and access to other pre- and post-game parties.
The most expensive tickets will set fans back nearly $30,000 (US$18,800), which include prime viewing and special seating.
Where will the Super Bowl be held in 2026?
2026: San Fransisco (Levi’s Stadium)
2027: Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium)
2028: Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
Who has won the most Super Bowls?
The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers have both won six each.
6: New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers
5: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers
4: Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants
The Patriots have also played in 11 Super Bowls – the most of any NFL team.
The San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers are all tied for second with eight appearances each.