Browns Pro Bowl Guard Joel Bitonio Retires After 12 NFL Seasons

Seven-time Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio remained one of the NFL's top free agents at this point in the 2026 NFL offseason, but the 34-year-old decided he didn't want to put on a different uniform after 12 seasons (2014-25) with the Cleveland Browns . Instead, Bitonio retired.

"After the 2025 season came to an end, I was still pretty set on the fact that I was retiring, but I was still going to the facility to rehab," Bitonio said,  via ClevelandBrowns.com . "I was contemplating my decision, thinking about how I have been playing football for 23 years of my life – including 12 in the NFL. But there was never a need to rush the decision."

Bitonio, the 35th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Nevada, earned seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2018 to 2024, establishing himself as one of the best interior offensive linemen of the last decade. In the first three years of that stretch, 2018-20, he earned three straight second-team All-Pro selections as well. Back-to-back first-team All-Pro nods came in 2021 and 2022. The only thing Bitonio was missing was a Super Bowl , but he decided loyalty to the Browns was more important.

"The Browns and AB [general manager Andrew Berry] were very understanding," Bitonio said. "They acknowledged what I had done for the team and understood it was a tough decision, and they assured me that they would be there when I was ready to discuss. And that's why we extended our void date on our contract. We were giving it time, and I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. By the time free agency started, me and AB had already had the discussion, and I told him I am most likely retiring here.

"When I looked at my career and all that I had achieved – the All-Pros , Pro Bowls, snap streaks and playoff appearances – there was only one thing left that I still hoped to accomplish: a Super Bowl. A small part of me thought about wanting to chase that dream, but at the end of the day, my heart was set on being a Cleveland Brown for life. This city was where my NFL career was supposed to start and finish. For that dream to be a reality, I could not be more grateful."

Bitonio is certainly walking away with perhaps some gas in the tank. Bitonio's 75.7 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade in 2025 ranked eighth among guards in the NFL. Since the Browns returned to Cleveland in 1999, his 178 starts are the most by a Brown.

"To the city of Cleveland, our loyal fanbase, the Haslam family and the entire Browns organization, thank you," Bitonio said. "Thank you for 12 years of unwavering support and unforgettable memories."

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/joel-bitonio-retires-browns/)._