Longtime Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio has announced his retirement after 12 NFL seasons.
Bitonio, 34, was a second-round pick of the Browns in 2014 and played his entire career in Cleveland, earning seven Pro Bowl nods and five All-Pro selections. Bitonio’s expected announcement was made official Tuesday as the Browns prepared to begin their mandatory minicamp under new coach Todd Monken, who coached Bitonio when he was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2019. Monken’s starting offensive line will almost certainly feature at least four new starters.
Bitonio retires as the new-era Browns’ leader in games played with 178. He passed his close friend and former linemate, Joe Thomas, to become the record holder last season. Thomas has publicly campaigned for Bitonio to eventually join him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, saying that Bitonio’s combination of athleticism and technical prowess made him not only one of the best guards of his era but one of the best to ever play the position.
After having two of his first three seasons cut short due to injury, Bitonio missed just one game due to injury from 2017 to 2025. Over the last three seasons, he often played through lingering back tightness he called “old man’s back,” but continued to play at a high level.
“(Last) season, when I passed Joe for the most starts since 1999, that was a really special moment in my career,” Bitonio wrote in a letter published by the Browns. I knew how tough Joe was and what he went through to play all those games. While I wasn’t able to do it all consecutively, I was always out there trying to live up to the standard that he set of toughness, being there for your teammates when maybe no one else was, and showing up every week ready to play regardless of what the scoreboard said.”
Bitonio blocked for 22 different starting quarterbacks over his 12 seasons in Cleveland. From the time Thomas suffered a torn left triceps in 2017 — leading to his retirement — until last season, the Browns had 14 different players start at left tackle next to Bitonio. At one point in 2021, Bitonio even moved out to play left tackle himself. Amid the instability, Bitonio was a multiple-time team captain and reliable player who said that he didn’t ever see himself playing in another NFL uniform, and now he’s decided that he won’t.
Bitonio had considered retirement after the 2024 season but said he physically felt up to the challenge of playing at least one more year. He didn’t want any kind of farewell tour in 2025 and repeatedly said he would make no final decisions about his football future until taking some time in the offseason to talk with his family and assess his options.
Monken told reporters last winter that he’d hoped Bitonio would return for another season and that the team would welcome him back if he did, and GM Andrew Berry also said the team was comfortable giving Bitonio the time he needed to make a decision. Ultimately, Bitonio chose to walk away as one of the most accomplished linemen in team history and a sure bet to one day join the team’s Legends class.
“Joel Bitonio set the standards for on-field excellence, professionalism and loyalty during his 12-year career with our organization,” Berry said in a statement. “Few have achieved as much as Joel has during his 178 starts. With seven Pro Bowls, five All-Pro selections and being the best interior lineman at his peak, we applaud a career that should be Canton-bound. Everyone knows Joel’s on-field accomplishments, but he was able to elevate the entire building during his tenure because he is a Hall of Fame person.”