Joel Bitonio’s retirement is a win for the Cleveland Browns and it’s glaringly obvious why
Joel Bitonio retired from the NFL on Tuesday, ending a stellar career that saw him become one of the best guards in the league over the course of 12 seasons. It’s sad to see him go, but it’s the best possible situation for the Browns.
It was pretty obvious Joel Bitonio’s time with the Cleveland Browns was over, even before he announced his retirement on Tuesday.
For starters, Bitonio had been a free agent since his contract expired after the 2025 season. Sure, teams and players can always reconnect during the summer months, but the Browns re-signed Teven Jenkins, and brought in both Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins to man the interior offensive line.
The moves themselves signaled Bitonio’s potential departure, but the contracts basically guaranteed it. Elgton Jenkins signed a two-year, $24 million deal. Johnson signed a three-year $49.5 million deal. Tevin Jenkins’ contract, a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, was the only contract that was “flexible” in terms of a starting/backup role.
Regardless, Bitonio’s retirement marks the end of an era and he’ll go down as one of the best players in Browns history. The former second-round draft pick played 12 seasons over the course of his career, amassing seven straight Pro Bowl nods that had five straight All-Pro billings attached to it. Overall, he played in 178 games, starting all of them.
The Browns no longer have to worry about seeing Joel Bitonio in another uniform thanks to his retirement
The Browns are ready to move on, but they do get a small win in the fact they won’t have to play against Joel Bitonio now that he’s announced his retirement.
Watching a franchise legend walk away is always bittersweet, but it can lean more toward the bitter side of the situation if they go and play elsewhere.
Take former Tampa Bay Buccaneers legendary wideout Mike Evans, for example. Buccaneers fans were destroyed when he left for the San Francisco 49ers. It was already tough enough realizing he’d no longer don pewter and red after the 2025 season, but it got worse once fans understood he’d not only be wearing a different jersey – he might play against the Bucs at some point considering he stayed in the NFC.
That won’t be the case for the Browns, whatsoever. And for a franchise that’s had plenty of down moments, a small win like this is nice.
Where does Joel Bitonio stack up in Browns history?
He’s easily one of the best offensive line to ever play in Cleveland and it’s unfortunate he had to endure 10 seasons where the team finished with a losing record. To make it even worse, the Browns failed to win more than seven games in nine of said seasons, with two of them producing a grand total of one win from 2017-2018.
Bitonio will easily go down as a top-25 player for the Browns. His consistent, high-level play, along with the aforementioned accolades, are plenty enough. Frankly, it’d be shocking if he doesn’t make the Browns’ Ring of Honor.
It’s the end of an era, but the Browns made the right moves in case this happened. Here’s to wishing nothing but the best for Bitonio and his family, moving forward.