The Todd Monken-Andrew Berry regime has already said goodbye to a pair of Cleveland Browns mainstays in tight end David Njoku and Wyatt Teller this offseason. They weren’t only beloved by fans, but they also made it painfully clear that they wanted to stay and finish their careers with the Browns.
The biggest lingering question mark now falls on a date every Browns fan should have circled: March 10. That's when the newly extended void date on Joel Bitonio’s contract is scheduled to trigger.
In a way, the two sides agreeing on what essentially amounts to a three-week extension is a great sign that Cleveland’s franchise left guard could return in 2026. If Bitonio felt his time in Cleveland was over, or had interest in leaving for a contender, his contract would have voided out as planned back on President’s Day.
The harsh reality is that the Browns have 23.5 million reasons to pursue a contract extension with Bitonio. They not only could use his leadership on what will be a new-look offensive line in Monken’s first season, but they’ll want to address his sizable salary cap hit that would immediately hit their books, even if he left for another team in free agency.
That’s why finding common ground with the 34-year-old Bitonio should be priority No. 1 for this team, preferably before the NFL’s legal tampering window arrives the day before his contract's new void date.
Browns face a massive Joel Bitonio decision before March 10
There are only two outcomes here that the Browns should be willing to accept. They’ll either need to work out a contract extension to lower his 2026 cap number and keep him in the fold, or process his retirement in the most strategic way possible.
Berry will be able to create whatever cap space the team needs to make some moves in free agency, and you could argue that Devin Bush is actually the team’s top pending free agent from a league-wide perspective.
Bitonio’s clearly more important from a Browns perspective, though. Cleveland has a proven stud at linebacker in Carson Schwesinger, and while Bush enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, his spot will be easier to replace in the 2026 NFL Draft. It’ll be much harder to replace Bitonio, as Ring of Honor left guards don’t exactly grow on trees.
There’s a lot to consider here, starting with Bitonio’s desire to run it back with a new coach and potentially new players on either side of him on the offensive line. The clock is ticking, though, and Monken and company should be doing whatever it takes to clear the runway for a Browns return, if Bitonio decides he’s got another one in him.