Joel Bitonio Retires After 12 Browns Seasons With 178 Starts

Q: Was Bitonio's retirement a choice or a casualty of the Browns' aggressive and expensive offensive line rebuild?

Bitonio’s retirement was overwhelmingly a choice, not a casualty of Cleveland’s offensive line overhaul. The strongest evidence is Bitonio’s own account. He said he spent months weighing the decision, had already considered retiring a year earlier, and ultimately decided his career should both begin and end in Cleveland. He made clear that, while he briefly thought about trying to chase a Super Bowl elsewhere, his “heart was set on being a Cleveland Brown for life.” That points to a personal, long-considered exit rather than being pushed out. The Browns’ actions also suggest preparation, not a forced separation. After his contract voided in March, the team gave him extra time to decide and publicly left the door open for a return. Todd Monken reportedly tried to convince him to keep playing. Cleveland then rebuilt the line aggressively because it had to plan for the possibility that a 34-year-old guard who had already flirted with retirement might not come back. That rebuild was real and expensive. The Browns added Tytus Howard, Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, re-signed Teven Jenkins, and drafted Spencer Fano, effectively remaking the front. But those moves look more like insurance and broader roster restructuring than a signal that Bitonio was unwanted, especially since he was still performing at a high level in 2025. The rebuild likely made the transition easier for the Browns once Bitonio chose to retire. It does not appear to have been the reason he retired.

3 articles · Updated · clevelandbrowns.com · Jun 9

34-year-old guard Joel Bitonio said his "job is finished," ending a 12-season career spent entirely with Cleveland while wearing No. 75.
178 starts and 6,481 consecutive offensive snaps from 2017 through 2023 underscored the durability standard he said he adopted from Browns linemen such as Joe Thomas, Alex Mack and J.C. Tretter.
Week 7 of the 2025 season brought a milestone he called especially meaningful: his 168th start, which moved him past Thomas for the most starts by a Browns player since the franchise's 1999 return.
Six-time captain Bitonio said Cleveland's 2020 playoff-clinching win over Pittsburgh deepened his desire to finish in one uniform, framing his retirement as the close of a career built on loyalty and availability.