Eagles' Jordan Mailata 'felt like crying' after earning this honor for the first time in his career

Mailata earned one of the seven captain spots on the Eagles

By Jeff Kerr Sep 2, 2024 at 11:11 am ET• 2 min read

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles downgraded from nine captains to seven this year, with most of the picks being the same. There was one new captain from the previous season, who was caught off guard by the selection. 

For the first time in his career, Jordan Mailata is a captain. 

"I felt like crying. Because it really shocked me," Mailata said after being named captain in his seventh season. "Then after the first hour, I felt ...That's a huge deal. To me, it is. Just gotta go out and be me."

Being himself has propelled Mailata to a leadership position on the Eagles, a role he has taken since Jason Kelce retired. He was voted by his teammates as a captain for a reason. 

"He's there for his teammates," Jalen Hurts said. "I know there's a picture from 2021of him being there for me in a game in which we came up short. That's the type of teammate he was, and after that moment, a lot of wins started to come."