Cleveland Browns' veteran guard Joel Bitonio has a little more time to make a decision about his NFL future after agreeing to a minor contract changer
The end is certainly near for Cleveland Browns' veteran guard Joel Bitonio. Whether or not the end is officially here, however, remains to be seen.
Bitonio has been very candid about the fact that he will be contemplating retirement for a second consecutive offseason. A final decision is expected to be delayed for at least several more weeks, though.
Initially, a void date in his contract for Monday, Feb. 16 would have forced Bitonio to make a decision on his future this week. Now, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, the Browns and Bitonio agreed to adjust the contract to push back that date back, giving the 34-year-old a few more weeks before he has to decide what's next.
The three additional weeks of contemplating put Bitonio's decision date much closer to the start of the new league year on March 11. By then, the Browns will surely want to know if Bitonio has any intention of returning, anyway, as he'll be set to hit free agency and would need to work out a new contract to stay with Cleveland.
Whether or not Bitonio is part of their plans,the Browns are also facing a bevy of changes up front this offseason. Along with the 12-year veteran, most of the team's original starters up front, including right tackle Jack Conklin, right guard Wyatt Teller and center Ethan Pocic, are also free agents to be.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Andrew Berry, has talked openly about the fact that they're expecting a lot of turnover on that side of the ball.
Meanwhile, Bitonio got very emotional speaking to the media one day after Cleveland's season ended last month.
“With great pride. It's hard to put into words," a teary-eyed Bitonio said when asked how he'll look back on his career. "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."
In 12 seasons, Bitonio started 178 games, all of them for the Browns. He was a day one starter for the franchise in 2014 after being drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft.
Bitonio made seven Pro Bowl appearances, was a two-time First-Team All-Pro and a three-time Second-Team All-Pro during his memorable career. Cleveland will know soon enough if they've seen the last of Bitonio.
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