The status of Cleveland Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio remains uncertain.
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The status of Cleveland Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio remains uncertain.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas isn’t done trying to keep Joel Bitonio in Cleveland.
And this time, he has a new pitch. With Bitonio weighing retirement for the second straight offseason, Thomas told cleveland.com he plans to personally lobby his former teammate by selling him on new Browns offensive line coach George Warhop.
“I plan to shoot him a text and give him a rave review of George as an OL coach,” Thomas said.
Last offseason, Thomas urged Bitonio to keep playing as long as he could — and it worked. Bitonio returned for a 12th season and started all 17 games despite battling nagging injuries, remaining one of the few bright spots on an offensive line that helped produce a 5-12 record.
Bitonio, 34, was visibly emotional on the final day of the 2025 season, tearing up when reflecting on what could have been his last game in a Browns uniform.
“It’s hard to put into words,” he said. “I just tried to give it everything. It’s tough. You try and go out there and be the best version of yourself and do what you can to help the team win. And I tried to do that every day. That’s what I did.”
A seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Bitonio is a lock for the Browns’ Ring of Honor whenever he decides to walk away. His contract was officially voided at the start of the new league year. He is now an unrestricted free agent and hasn’t officially retired, leaving his status with the Browns uncertain.
Browns Want Joel Bitonio Back
The recruiting effort isn’t limited to Thomas. Head coach Todd Monken has already made his case directly.
“He came up to the office a few weeks ago and we tried to talk him into it right then,” Monken said at the NFL Combine. “But he was not in that position yet to say he wanted to come back. I’m for really good football players and I’m for really good football players that are wired like Joel. There’s not many wired like Joel. I like what he says, how he carries himself, how he prepares.”
The Warhop connection is the thread Thomas is pulling on. Warhop coached the Browns’ offensive line from 2009 to 2013. Thomas has called Warhop one of the best offensive line coaches in NFL history. The two are close, and Thomas clearly believes that endorsement carries weight with Bitonio.
Bitonio missed Warhop’s first stint in Cleveland by a year, but the veteran coach’s reputation precedes him. The new Browns staff has made clear that Bitonio’s experience would be invaluable as the franchise rebuild up front.
Browns Have Overhauled Offensive Line
The Browns didn’t wait on Bitonio to start remaking the offensive line. Cleveland traded for Texans right tackle Tytus Howard, signed interior lineman Zion Johnson to a three-year, $49.5 million deal, and added versatile veteran Elgton Jenkins. Howard played under Warhop in Houston in 2022.
Johnson, who has spent a chunk of his career at left guard — the same position as Bitonio — was quick to praise the man he would potentially replace.
“I don’t know Joel Bitonio personally, but I think every young guard knows who Joel Bitonio is,” Johnson said. “He’s played at an extremely high level year after year after year. He’s the kind of pinnacle and the level that a lot of young guards aspire to play to. So to have the opportunity to be around somebody like that, to learn from them, to play next to them, I think anybody would love that opportunity.”
The Browns also re-signed Teven Jenkins, who started four games last season. Cleveland is also likely to use one of its two first-round picks — No. 6 and 24 overall — on the offensive line.