Does Browns Veteran Joel Bitonio Think The 2024 Season Will Be His Last?

The upcoming campaign will be Joel Bitonio's 11th in the NFL

Jun 14, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio (75) walks off the field during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

A professional football career is a fleeting thing. So much so that some people joke that "NFL" is actually an acronym for "not for long." There's some truth to that considering the average length of an NFL career is a little over three years.

So as Browns veteran guard Joel Bitonio gears up for his 11th season, he knows he's been fortunate enough to play longer than most who make it to this level. He also knows the end of his career is near. That doesn't mean he's ready to declare 2024 his last season just yet.

"I feel like I’ve definitely played more seasons than I have left," the 32-year-old said at the Cleveland Browns Foundation Annual Golf Tournament. "But really, I’m truly taking it, one year, one game at a time, you never know. You know, Joe (Thomas) played 11 years. I’m going to be at 11 years now. So, it’s a blessing every time I get to keep playing football. It’s gonna dictate a lot of how my body feels and stuff and how we are as a team as well. But right now I feel good and I’m ready for this year and I’m, you know, hopefully like you said, I can bounce back physically and have a great year.”

Reacting To Deshaun Watson's Throwing At Browns OTAs https://t.co/sF3YoEy5Mb

— Browns Digest (@BrownsDigestFN) May 30, 2024

Bitonio is coming off of an injury plagued 2023 campaign, something that was uncharted territory for the 11-year vet. Prior to last season, Bitonio had started in every regular season game the Browns played since 2017. Then, an early season knee injury required arthroscopic surgery and forced him to miss a game in Week 6. The ailment hindered him throughout the rest of the season.

Later Bitonio dealt with a back injury, he also suffered an ankle injury in the Browns postseason loss to the Texans. Nearly five months later Bitonio is feeling much better.

"I feel really good right now," the veteran said. "You don’t play football for a few months plus you get some treatments and some stuff taken care of, and the body starts to feel a lot better. So, right now I’m at a good space, physically and I’m upping my running and conditioning and been lifting and stuff. So, I feel good right now, you know, and we got to a little bit of time before the season starts. So hopefully it just keeps improving.”

While Bitonio hasn't been training with his teammates during voluntary OTAs, he has been around, working out and getting treatments at the team facility. 10 years in though, he recognizes that in order to prolong his career he has to do things a little differently than he used to.

"As a rookie, I thought if I took like two days off, I was like behind for the season," said Bitonio. Now there’s a fine line between wearing myself out before the season starts and making sure I’m in shape to play, though.

"It’s tough because I actually enjoy like practicing and being out there and trying to work on my craft and I think that was part of it last year was, I couldn’t with the way my body was reacting. But it’s still working out, still getting the reps you can, but also taking the days when you need it to make sure you’re, you’re ready for Sunday. It's a fine line, but I think we’re working through it and I think we have a pretty good plan.”

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