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."
Since the Eagles went down from nine captains to seven, that means two captain spots were eliminated. Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox were the two, as both retired this offseason. Mailata earned the captaincy and replaced DeVonta Smith -- who was a captain last year.
"There were a lot of guys that got votes. I had to go with the guys that got the most votes there," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. "Just because DeVonta didn't have as many votes as some of the other guys does not mean he's not still a leader on this football team.
"Last year I felt like I had a couple too many. Again, here is what the guys are voting. Where do you cut it off? It's always a tricky thing. There are a lot of guys deserving of it."
Mailata has come a long way since his rugby days, emerging into one of the bets tackles in the game. He's also a welcome presence in the locker room, always embracing a positive attitude and spreading joy to his teammates.
His teammates reciprocating that feeling means the world to him.
"It's a way of looking at how your teammates see you. And I'm honored to be seen like that," Mailata said. "I'm not going to change on the field. I'm going to keep doing my thing.
"Just keep being me, and understand you do act like a captain because all eyes are on you."