‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ – former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan calls out a player who is not living up to his standard
Olu Fashanu leads the NFL in sacks allowed through 3 weeks, and New York’s decision on his $22.37 million fifth-year option looms next offseason.
Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan didn’t hold back when discussing New York Jets left tackle Olu Fashanu’s rough start to the 2025 season. Fashanu, the Jets’ first-round pick out of Penn State in 2024, leads the NFL in sacks allowed with four through three weeks per TruMedia. Three of those came in a brutal Week 3 performance against the Detroit Lions.
Ryan appeared on ESPN New York and had a pointed message for the young left tackle.
“The left tackle (Fashanu), what the hell is wrong with you? A top 10 pick. How about you get a little fire in your butt and block some of these average-ass defensive ends that are making you look bad?” Ryan said.
It’s a harsh assessment, but Rex Ryan has never been one to sugarcoat things. And the numbers back up his frustration. Fashanu is a much more talented player than he’s shown on tape so far this season. With lots of time to go, he can certainly turn things around, and he must if the Jets offense is to succeed.
Fashanu’s struggles by the numbers
The sacks tell part of the story, but it goes deeper than that. Fashanu also allowed six pressures against the Lions in Week 3. For a player with his draft pedigree and physical tools, that kind of performance is alarming.
Now, the Jets also have a looming decision on his $22.37 million fifth-year option next offseason, which would make him roughly a top-10 paid left tackle in the league. That’s significant money for a player who has yet to show consistency at the NFL level. Fashanu got plenty of snaps and experience during his rookie year after Tyron Smith went down with an injury, so the “he needs more reps” excuse is not one worth using.
Don’t get me wrong. Fashanu was excellent in college, he’s a very athletic offensive lineman with great size, and he was the 11th pick for a reason. I’m not going to write off Olu Fashanu. That would be silly. He’s a much more talented player than the production he’s putting out on the field right now.
Why the Jets need Fashanu to figure it out
Here’s the bigger picture. The Jets offensive line looked really good on paper heading into this season and was expected to be a strength of the team. That may not be the case, at least not yet.
Fashanu is Geno Smith’s blindside protector, and that responsibility carries enormous weight right now. Smith has shown he can move around and extend plays, but he’s 35 years old. He’s not as mobile of a quarterback as he once was. The Jets are going to need to keep him upright because Smith is playing some incredibly good football to start this season.
The Jets offense is showing some really positive signs early, and Fashanu being the blindside man has to bear the load of that. Rex Ryan may say a lot of stuff about the Jets in the media, but he is right about this one. The left tackle has to play better.
