Myles Garrett has requested a trade, and Denzel Ward indicated the Browns trading Garrett would impact his long-term plans in Cleveland. As moving parts remain for Browns still contracted, the team may not have to worry about replacing one of the best offensive linemen in team history just yet.
Joel Bitonio has not made his retirement call yet, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicates the Browns are optimistic he will return for a 12th season. The optimism is at a place where the Browns do not appear to be closely monitoring the guard market for a potential replacement.
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A Brown since the Ray Farmer years, Bitonio helped salvage — to a degree, at least — a disastrous Browns draft that included first-round selections of Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel. Bitonio has been an anchor on Cleveland’s O-line, taking that baton from Joe Thomas. The former second-round pick has been a Browns starter for 11 seasons, and he and Wyatt Teller have become one of the NFL’s best guard tandems.
Bitonio, 33, has not asked the Browns for a trade or release. It appears the Nevada alum will be a one-team player, as he is in a year-to-year stage regarding retirement. He is currently tied to a three-year, $48MM extension, which expires after the ’25 season. He is due a $3MM roster bonus March 15, per ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi, so a decision should be expected soon. If Bitonio does make the decision to retire, the Browns — thanks to their penchant for adding void years onto contracts to create cap space — would be tagged with $14.5MM in dead money this year.
Having made the past seven Pro Bowls, Bitonio is more notably a five-time All-Pro. No accolades came for the talented blocker until 2018, when the Browns began a Baker Mayfield-centered resurgence of sorts. Bitonio helped Mayfield lead the team to snapping a 17-year playoff drought in 2020 and then was back in place at his left guard post when Joe Flacco stormed to a stunning Comeback Player of the Year season to guide a battered Browns team to the playoffs. It would be a tall order for the Browns to replace Bitonio, especially considering the dead money coming when Deshaun Watson is in place to count more than $72MM on Cleveland’s 2025 cap.
Teller, 30, is under contract through the 2025 season as well; the Browns signed both guards to extensions during the 2022 season. They will need a post-2025 plan soon. That may mean extensions or identifying replacements. For now, however, the Browns expect Bitonio to reprise his role for a 12th season before reassessing retirement.
Joel looks like I do on this Fat Tuesday. Anyone get paczkis today?