Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joel Bitonio will resume his career after contemplating retirement. The team announced on Wednesday that Bitonio will return for the 2025 season, his 12th with the team that selected him with the 35th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
The 33-year-old has made seven consecutive Pro Bowls and has been named an All-Pro five teams during his career. Injuries, however, cast a shadow of doubt over Bitonio’s career. He recently told reporters that he was “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.
Cleveland has many questions to answer this offseason, but one has been answered with Bitonio announcing his return.
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Author: Jared Dubin
March 5, 2025 | 5:25 pm
