Joel Bitonio: ‘Personification’ of Cleveland Browns mantra signs extension
By Randy Gurzi
Now that Odell Beckham, Jr. has officially been “freed,” the Cleveland Browns are handing out extensions, with Joel Bitonio adding three years to his deal
Joel Bitonio is the longest-tenured member of the Cleveland Browns. He joined the franchise back in 2014 when they took him in the second round of the NFL Draft.
A product of Nevada, Bitonio has seen a whole lot in his eight seasons with Cleveland and should see a lot more thanks to his new contract.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Bitonio and the Browns agreed to a three-year extension keeping him in Northeast Ohio through the 2024 season. His deal is worth a reported $48 million over the next three years.
This extension is the second in a row for the Cleveland front office as they announced on Tuesday that Wyatt Teller was given a four-year deal. The breakout left guard received $56.8 million over four seasons as he was rewarded for his hard work and pancake blocks. Bitonio, the starter at the other guard position is also a beast in the run game and the team said he is the “personification” of their mantra.
The extensions are a stark contrast to the news last week when Cleveland was dealing with the fallout of some Odell Beckham, Jr. drama. There was even the whole “Free OBJ” campaign, which technically worked out for him since he is no longer with the Browns, but it seems to have also worked out for Cleveland.
Not only did they look better on Sunday against the Bengals while scoring a huge win, but they also now have the money to pay the players who do want to be there and contribute to the end goal.
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After Bitonio, the focus could now shift to players such as Denzel Ward, Baker Mayfield, and David Njoku who are all due for new contracts.