Browns guard Joel Bitonio still undecided on whether to play in 2025: 'It's not easy'

Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joel Bitonio may be hanging up his spikes. Bitonio, the Browns' second-round pick in 2014, has made seven consecutive Pro Bowls and has been named an All-Pro five teams during his career, but he'll turn 34 years old in October and has been playing through injuries in recent years.

He told reporters over the weekend that he is "still working through" whether or not he will return for the 2025 season. "It's a little bit of a rollercoaster going one way, going the other way. It's not easy," Bitonio said, via BrownsZone.

The mounting injuries appear to be a primary concern for Bitonio. "I don't know if my knee and elbow and shoulder are all going to get 100% in the offseason, ever," he said. "But you're feeling better from the season."

Bitonio also noted how he saw the end of a Browns legend's career go, having played alongside Joe Thomas during the latter stages of the Hall of Fame tackle's career. The current state of the Browns, who went just 3-14 this past season, is somewhat similar to where it was heading into Thomas' final year. 

"First and foremost, I would say 90% of my decision is based on how I feel personally: body-wise, family-wise, all those things," Bitonio said. "But Joe Thomas got hurt his last season, but we also went 0-16 that last year. And you never want to go into the year and be like, 'oh, this is a total rebuild.' So I can't say that it's not part of an equation."

The Browns are likely to be in the quarterback market this offseason in the wake of the Deshaun Watson disaster, and especially if they pick a young passer like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders in the draft, they will want him to be well-protected. The offensive line for much of Bitonio's tenure in Cleveland has been a relative strength, but it will certainly become less of one if he decides to call it a career.