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Not much has gone right for the Cleveland Browns over the past few months, and their woes continued on Monday morning when superstar defensive end Myles Garrett requested a trade off the team. While losing Garrett would be a big enough loss on its own, a potential deal involving the former No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft could result in the team losing another former All-Pro in Joel Bitonio.
Bitonio has been Cleveland’s starting left guard on their offensive line for 11 years, earning six Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro honors along the way. With his play declining in 2024, though, Bitonio has made it clear he could retire this offseason if the Browns opt to undergo a rebuild, which is a comment that looms large after the latest news on Garrett.
“One potential domino that could fall if the Browns deal Myles Garrett is Joel Bitonio. The veteran OL has indicated he would potentially retire rather than be part of a rebuild. A Garrett trade could have some ripples,” Jonathan Jones of CBSSports reported in the wake of Garrett’s trade request.
Cleveland has shown no intention of trading Garrett, even after he went public with his trade request. It’s not too hard to see why, as Garrett is arguably the most dominant defensive lineman in the NFL currently. He’s earned five straight Pro Bowl selections, while also being named a first-team All-Pro in four of those five campaigns, and he was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
The issue is that the Browns find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place, and they may end up having no choice but to trade Garrett. That move could prove consequential for several reasons, with one of them being Bitonio’s retirement status. So as if this story wasn’t worth keeping tabs on before, Bitonio potentially retiring is another reason why Garrett’s trade request is such a big deal for Cleveland.
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