Death, taxes, and Joel Bitonio. That's the way things have gone in Cleveland for the past 11 years since they drafted a 6-foot-4 physical specimen out of Nevada early in the second round. However, all things come to an end, and his tenure in Cleveland is, unfortunately, not the exception.
There was some hope that Bitonio would return for another season. He initially agreed to push back his contract void date so he would have more time to make up his mind. Everybody in the building, from new head coach Todd Monken to Browns great Joe Thomas, has reached out to him.
The Browns ultimately took a massive $23.5 million dead cap hit once the new void date arrived, and there's still no word on Bitonio. That's why, as much as it looks like he's leaning toward riding into the sunset, he's still technically a free agent and, as such, he can now sign with any team that he pleases.
Considering that, it wouldn't be far-fetched to expect multiple teams could try to lure him after the NFL Draft. In fact, Steelers insider Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes he might be on their wish list.
"When the draft starts to play out and teams are like, 'Well, we didn't get the guard we want. Guess what? We're calling up Joel Bitonio, we're going to give him a one-year, $8 million deal, something like that,'" Carter said.
The Steelers could make a surprising push for Joel Bitonio after the draft
That may sound crazy at first, but it may not be that delusional at all.
The Steelers lost veteran guard Isaac Seumalo, and there aren't many viable options to replace him in free agency. Kevin Zeitler will be 37 next season, and Daniel Faalele was one of the worst guards in the league last season.
That leaves the Steelers with Spencer Anderson at left guard. He played a grand total of 193 snaps at the position last season, so unless they can get Vega Ioane or Kadyn Proctor in the 2026 NFL Draft (neither of whom may be available by the time they're on the clock at No. 21), they might have to go back to the drawing board.
It's hard to believe that Bitonio would join another franchise. He's been a Brown for life, and even though most of the fanbase will always love and respect him, it's not like he's walking away from the game because the Browns aren't willing to pay him. He just played for $15 million, and he's made $107.3 million in his career, per Spotrac.
That said, the Steelers have $27 million in cap space, and while that number will ultimately drop with other free agents and draft picks, they should still be in a position to offer him a competitive, one-year deal. If they're willing to match his salary from last year, even if it's with incentives, that might be a different story.
Also, there might not be that much love lost between Bitonio and the Browns' front office right now. They moved on from him by re-signing Teven Jenkins and adding Elgton Jenkins and Zion Johnson. Even if the Browns had to take a big cap hit because of his lack of clarity, professional athletes have big egos, and maybe watching his former team replace him so quickly ignited a fire in him.
It's all circumstantial at this point, but anything can happen in free agency.