Bitonio announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday.
Bitonio's NFL career has come to an end after 12 seasons, all of which were spent with the Browns. With Bitonio no longer on the team, Zion Johnson will likely take over as Cleveland's starting left guard.
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Browns' Joel Bitonio: Retirement decision pushed to March
Rotowire
Bitonio and the Browns have pushed the void date on his contract to the start of the new league year on March 11, giving him additional time to decide whether to retire or return for the 2026 season, Dan Labbe of cleveland.com reports.
Bitonio's contract had been slated to void Feb. 16, but he'll now have nearly an extra month to weigh his options. Were Bitonio's contract to void, Cleveland would take on over $23 million in dead cap, so it stands to reason that the veteran guard will either ink an extension or be released by March 11, depending on his decision. The 34-year-old offensive lineman continued to perform at a high level across his 17 regular-season appearances in 2025.
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Browns' Joel Bitonio: Able to play Sunday
Rotowire
Bitonio (knee/back) is active for Sunday's battle against the Bears.
Bitonio dealt with injuries to his knee and back during the week and logged a DNP/DNP/LP practice progression. He was given a designation of questionable entering the weekend but will be able to take the field Sunday and should take on his usual role as Cleveland's starting left guard.
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Browns' Joel Bitonio: Will play in 2025
Rotowire
The Browns announced Wednesday that Bitonio will return for the 2025 season.
Bitonio was contemplating retirement following the 2024 campaign, but the seven-time Pro Bowler has decided to play a 12th NFL season. Bitonio started in all 17 games for the Browns in 2024 and has missed just two games since 2017.
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Browns' Joel Bitonio: Contemplating retirement
Rotowire
Bitonio is deciding whether or not to retire and expects to inform the Browns of his decision before the start of free agency, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Bitonio has been in the NFL for 11 years and has been voted to the Pro Bowl each of the past seven seasons. He started in all 17 games for Cleveland last year and has missed just two regular-season contests since 2017. It would be a huge loss for the Browns' offensive line if Bitonio isn't part of the team next season, and Cabot adds that the left guard is "leaning a certain way" on retiring but isn't yet ready to share his decision.
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Browns' Joel Bitonio: Dealing with foot issue
Rotowire
Bitonio (foot) won't practice Wednesday, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
Bitonio played 100 percent of the Browns' offensive snaps in Sunday's win over the Ravens, however, it appears he sustained a foot injury in the process. The veteran offensive lineman will likely need to upgrade to at least limited participation Thursday or Friday in order to suit up in Week 9, when the Browns host the Chargers.
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Browns' Joel Bitonio: Recovered from ankle injury
Rotowire
Bitonio has been a full participant in practice during training camp, Patrick Warren of the Browns' official site reports.
Bitonio suffered a high-ankle sprain in Cleveland's wild-card loss to Houston in January, but he's since fully recovered. The veteran lineman is slated to work as the Browns' starting left guard once again in 2024.
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Browns' Joel Bitonio: Dealing with unspecified injury
Rotowire
Bitonio (undisclosed) was spotted leaving the Browns' facility on crutches last week, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Bitonio is considered "day-to-day" with an unspecified injury ahead of the team's Week 6 matchup with the undefeated 49ers. The left guard's status will be worth monitoring as the week goes on.
