Sunday’s game against the Dolphins will be the final home game of left guard Joel Bitonio’s 11th year with the Browns and it could be the final home game of Bitonio’s career as well.
Bitonio, who has made six Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams since joining the team as a 2014 second-round pick, has one more year left on his contract, but he said on Thursday that he is going to take some time after Week 18 to decide whether or not he is going to return for a 12th year in the trenches.
“We’ll see how we’re doing in a couple of weeks after the season,” Bitonio said, via 92.3 The Fan. “It’s very hard to make a decision when you’re in the middle of it. You’re going through that daily grind, you know what I mean? So I’m going to finish the year as strong as I can and see how we feel in a couple of weeks and go from there.”
While Bitonio is unsure about returning, he has no doubts about his commitment to Cleveland. He acknowledges that there has been “some losing and things like that” over his time with the Browns, but said he “just can’t see myself putting on a different helmet” in hopes of getting the kind of team success that has eluded him in Cleveland.
