BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Joel Bitonio had a good idea in January that he would be retiring after 12 seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
On Tuesday, it was time for the offensive lineman to make it official.
“This place is so special that it was hard to truly say goodbye. I’m so glad I got to learn and be a Cleveland Brown my entire career,” Bitonio said during a news conference after he announced his retirement via the team website earlier in the day.
The 34-year-old Bitonio reminisced about his career and future plans while his wife, Courtney, and three children looked on. The announcement also came on the day the Browns opened their three-day mandatory minicamp.
Bitonio played his entire career in Cleveland after he was selected in the second round (35th) of the 2014 draft. He was a stalwart at left guard and emerged as the leader of the offensive line when Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas retired after the 2017 season.
Bitonio’s 178 games — all starts — are ninth in franchise history. He has made the most starts in orange and brown since the franchise’s return to Cleveland in 1999.
“He was a model of consistency. I hardly ever remember Joel having a bad game,” owner Jimmy Haslam said. “He did what I think you ask everybody to do in any organization, and that is come to work, work hard, do your job, be a good team player, go home, spend time with your family, and come back and do it again, and he did that for 12 years.”
Even though Bitonio was still coming into the facility to rehab from offseason elbow surgery, there wasn’t any rush to make the retirement announcement until Bitonio felt like the time was right.
“We signed like three interior linemen on the first day of free agency, so that was kind of like me and AB (general manager Andrew Berry) had already discussed that I was going to retire and I was finishing up my career,” said Bitonio, a two-time All-Pro pick and selected seven times for the Pro Bowl. “I know my agent talked to a bunch of teams during the combine, and people asked if I was interested in continuing to play, but there never got anything where I was telling people I wanted to play for another team.”
The highlights of Bitonio’s career were being part of two playoff squads in 2020 and ’23. He missed the AFC wild-card game in Pittsburgh in January 2021 due to COVID-19. Cleveland’s 48-37 victory over the Steelers was their first playoff win since the 1994 season.
Bitonio had to watch the game at home.
“My neighborhood knew I was at home, and they started lighting off fireworks after the game, and they threw a little parade down the street. So it was an unbelievable experience because we got the win. I think it would have been heart-wrenching if you’re sitting there and the team loses,” he said.
Bitonio also had a front-row seat to the Browns’ fruitless quest to find a franchise quarterback. He was on the offensive line for 23 different quarterbacks, including 22 who made at least one start.
He was also the only Browns’ lineman to start and play all 17 games last season. Cleveland started 10 different line combinations last season because of injuries.
The Browns have made steady progress in rebuilding the offensive line. They drafted left tackle Spencer Fano with the ninth pick. They also signed left guard Zion Johnson and center/guard Elgton Jenkins while acquiring right tackle Tytus Howard from Houston.
The lone holdover from last season might be Teven Jenkins, who played all 17 games, including four starts at right guard.
“I think I was telling my wife the other day, it still kind of feels like an offseason right now. I’ve still been working out. I’m obviously not training as much, not at minicamp right now, but I think when training camp starts is going to be the real moment like, ‘OK, I’m retired from this,’ because that’s when everything really cranks up,” Bitonio said.
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