Steelers Now
On Tuesday, Cleveland Browns All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio announced his retirement from the NFL after 12 seasons. Bitonio played his entire career in Cleveland, earning seven Pro Bowl selections and selected All-Pro five times, two of which were first-team.
“I felt a loyalty to the Browns, and it gave me a sense of pride to represent a fan base who is consistently loyal to us. I started the job here, and once I got to a certain point, I knew I wanted to finish the job in Cleveland,” Bitonio said in a statement, via the Browns official website.
Bitonio is one of the best Browns players in franchise history. In an era that often lacks loyalty, Bitonio stuck with the Browns for his entire career.
Bitonio’s 178 career regular-season games ranks ninth all-time in Browns history. Bitonio played 102 consecutive regular-season games (and started 6,481 consecutive snaps) from 2017 to 2023.
“Thank you, Joel, for your 12 years of dedication and character as a representative of this city. Your name will go down as one of the best to ever wear a Browns uniform. Congrats on an excellent career. Forever a Brown,” the Browns said in a statement.
In his retiring statement, Bitonio mentioned the exact moment when he realized that he wanted to be a Brown forever.
“When I watched Baker keep the football and run around the right end for the first down, clinching the playoffs and beating the Steelers, all I could think at first was that we had finally made it. I’d worked hard my whole career and hadn’t made the playoffs; but that moment – a team-oriented, surreal moment – made it worth it.
“It was also a moment in my head that I thought, ‘Man, it’d be really special to finish my career here in Cleveland,'” Bitonio said.
“At the time, I was in my seventh NFL season and had just reached my first playoff game – that taste of winning was unlike anything I had ever experienced. We had fought through losing seasons and risen to this moment with the brotherhood we’d built in the locker room. Retirement wasn’t on my radar.
“Truthfully, as time passed and my career kept going, there was never a point where I could envision myself in a different uniform. Wearing that orange helmet and being part of this franchise – from getting drafted to signing three contracts – I felt a loyalty to the Browns, and it gave me a sense of pride to represent a fan base who is consistently loyal to us. I started the job here, and once I got to a certain point, I knew I wanted to finish the job in Cleveland.
“Now that job is finished. After 12 seasons of wearing No. 75 in brown and orange, I have officially decided to retire.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Browns Legend Retires after 12 Seasons
