First Wyatt Teller. Now Joel Bitonio.
After Teller signed a contract extension on Tuesday, Bitonio has signed a three-year contract extension, the Browns announced on Wednesday.
Bitonio had one season remaining on the five-year extension he signed in 2017. Bitonio’s new deal will keep him under contract with Cleveland through the 2025 season.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the deal is worth roughly $48 million.
“After last season, we decided that one of our major football priorities would be to make Joel Bitonio a Brown for the rest of his career,” General Manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. “Joel is one of our most decorated players and is the ideal personification of our ‘Tough, Smart, Accountable’ mantra. We value Joel’s high-level performance, leadership, consistency and durability.
“We are all excited about this extension and hopeful that at the end of his career we will all be looking forward to celebrating Joel’s gold jacket fitting in Canton.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski added Bitonio is “everything you’d ever want in a football player.”
“We always know exactly what we are going to get from Joel every rep, every practice, every game,” Stefanski said. “His consistent effort, exceptional play, and team-first mentality make him a great teammate and truly a perfect example for every player that will ever wear brown and orange for the Cleveland Browns. Handing Joel a game ball in the locker room last year when we clinched a spot in playoffs will be a career highlight for me, Joel deserved that moment because of all the hard work and effort he puts into this organization. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to coach Joel.”
Bitonio is the longest-tenured Brown, as Cleveland drafted him in the second round of the 2014 draft. He has played every offensive snap for the Browns since the 2017 season, and has been named a Pro Bowler in each of the last three seasons.
As pointed out by Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan, Bitonio is the first Browns player since 1999 to receive a third contract from the organization — his rookie deal plus two extensions.
