Browns veteran Joel Bitonio gives heartfelt statement amid potential retirement

When you think of the Cleveland Browns' offensive line, Joel Bitonio's name probably comes to mind.

The 34-year-old offensive lineman has been a staple for the Browns for the last 12 seasons, being selected to seven Pro Bowls and named an All-Pro two times. Through countless quarterback changes and bumps in the road, Bitonio has been the one constant for the organization that they could always rely on.

However, now that the offseason is here, questions have started to come up about what he plans to do moving forward. Will he resign with the Browns? Will he retire? Right now, at least, it seems that even he's not dead-set on what the plan is.

After last week's win at home over the Pittsburgh Steelers, which could potentially be Bitonio's final game at Huntington Bank Field, he spoke about where his mindset was.

"There's retirement, there's free agency — you know, I've never done that in my life," he said. "There is so much stuff that goes into it. I'll take it in."

On Monday, Jan. 5, he was yet again grabbed by the media following the news that head coach Kevin Stefanski was fired. He spoke about how he wanted to be remembered if he did infact play his last game of professional football.

“It’s hard to put into words. I just tried to give it everything," he said. "It’s tough. You try to go out there and be the best version of yourself and help the team win. I try to do that every day. That’s what I did.”

Joel Bitonio got teary-eyed when asked how he wants his career to be remembered if this ends up being his last season.

“It’s hard to put into words. I just tried to give it everything.”
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) January 5, 2026

Bitonio could retire after 2025 campaign

Bitonio certainly did give it his all, something the Cleveland faithful understands. Across his 12 seasons in the league, he has started in all 178 games he's suited up for, a testament to his durability and reliability.

Unfortunately, Bitonio's career couldn't come down to a worse point in time.

The offseason is expected to be quite eventful for the Browns.

Not only are they currently undergoing a search for the organization's next head coach, but they are also going to have to work on potentially addressing contractual issues that arise. Not only is Bitonio a free agent, but so is veteran guard Wyatt Teller, guard Teven Jenkins, tackle Cam Robinson and center Ethan Piocic.

While the front office is going to survey the options available in free agency, they might not have much cap space to work with. Instead, the focus will probably be narrowed in on the NFL Draft, where they'll look to bring in young, impressionable linemen to mold into future starters.

Bitonio's future with the Browns is up in the air, but so is his in the league. Even if they were able to end up finding the money to somehow make him stay, he may still elect to retire.

"Last year, I thought about it, if I wanted to be done," he said. "This year, it's last year on the contract, last year I signed up for, so it's definitely a possibility. This could very well be the last time you put a Browns helmet on. But, you never know."

He's expected to mull over the decision for the coming weeks.