Olu Fashanu on Joining Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets: 'It's Like A Fairytale'

"I bring a lot of toughness, a lot of grit. Most importantly, I feel like one of my best assets is my consistency on the field," Fashanu said. "I never take plays off, always give my all. I'm great in pass protection and run blocking, but also a great locker room guy."

New York made quick moves during the offseason to address their offensive line in free agency this year with the additions of former Baltimore Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses, and All-Pro tackle Tyron Smith. 

For Fashanu, as he began his football journey, Smith and Moses were the two players he watched and learned from the most. 

"I feel like I'm kind of living in a fairy tale or something like that," Fashanu stated. "He (Smith) was the first player I ever watched. I didn't start playing football until freshman year in his school. He's the standard at left tackle and to have the opportunity to learn from him, what more can I ask for?"

It's not just Smith and Moses Fashanu will be playing with, though. New York has four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers on the roster and prepared to return to the team after a torn Achilles cost him the 2023 season. 

While many draft experts believed giving Rodgers a weapon would be something the Jets explored, New York opted to address the depth of the offensive line - something that has been tested in recent years. 

"The last two years have been rough for the offensive linemen," Jets general manager Joe Douglas said. "You really can never have enough offensive or defensive linemen."

When asked about it on the Pat McAfee show, Rodgers himself stated that while he expected the team to try and acquire an offensive player, he wouldn't complain about addressing the players in front of him.

“We already made three moves in the offseason [to address the offensive line] with bringing John to play guard, Morgan to play tackle, and Tyron to play tackle as well, so it wasn’t necessarily at the top of the needs,” Rodgers said via the New York Post. “But I know they really loved Olu... I love what Joe did, moving back and getting a couple more picks.”

As to playing with Rodgers, Fashanu has just one word to describe it:

 "Awesome."

"Just having the opportunity to be on the same team as a future Hall-of-Famer like Aaron Rodgers...that's the best opportunity," Fashanu explained.

Fashanu did not allow a sack in his final two years at Penn State and gave up just one pressure in a difficult Big Ten Conference. With the level of competition set to increase, the Jets are ready to allow him to grow and develop over the next few years. 

Being the future protector of Rodgers and New York's future quarterback isn't a bad idea either, especially when adding a few extra picks.