Jordan Mailata spent more than six years manning the outer edges of the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive line alongside franchise great Lane Johnson. The Australian native and former Rugby player honed his football skills while learning from one of the best tackles of his era. They competed in two Super Bowls together and celebrated a championship. Those experiences should shape a lasting bond. Philly's starting left tackle has time to reflect on all that.
Right now, he is still adjusting to the Johnson retirement news.
“Still kinda shocked by it all,” Mailata said, per The Athletic's Brooks Kubena. “Yeah, still a hard one to swallow to be honest. To be honest, I'm not gonna comment on Lane's retirement, I don't want to speak for him. Or speak on this. I think it's just heavy. It's heavy to deal with right now.
Article Continues Below“I'm still processing my emotions — let alone, also, we try to remember all the times we had. A lot of memories to unpack when I think about Lane. I just think about how much I'm going to miss him going forward.”