Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio is one of the better players on his team, but the longtime veteran could request a trade before the season kicks off. After another strong campaign in 2024, Bitonio recently revealed that he contemplated retirement following the team’s disastrous 3-14 season.
“It was tough. I did give consideration to retiring,” Bitonio said, via Barry Shuck of Dawgs By Nature. “I was frustrated. Now, I don’t know if I would have the same conversation if we had gone to the playoffs again, and maybe were a 10-win team. But after having a successful year, following by losing 14 was difficult. I questioned why I was playing this game…I wanted to go out on a higher note than what we experienced last year.”
Now entering his 12th year in the league, the seven-time Pro Bowler understandably wants to start winning football games. Unfortunately, that probably won’t happen with the Browns. While the team added multiple quarterbacks in the offseason, it’s hard to imagine any combination of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders contributing to a playoff run. If Joel Bitonio only returned to win games, he could request a trade to a contender like the Kansas City Chiefs or Baltimore Ravens.
Chiefs, Ravens Could Trade For Joel Bitonio
The Kansas City Chiefs enter the 2025 season looking to rebound from an embarrassing blowout loss in the Super Bowl. While the team addressed the left tackle position with free agent Jaylon Moore and first-round pick Josh Simmons, they must do something about the left guard issue.
After trading Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears in a cost-cutting move, the Chiefs are betting everything on second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia successfully transitioning from tackle to guard. Perhaps he’s up for the challenge, but the BYU product was one of the league’s worst blockers last year on a per-play basis. While they might struggle to make the money work, a Joel Bitonio trade would give the Chiefs one of the most dominant offensive lines in football, assuming Simmons can hit the ground running.
An In-Division Trade
Would the Cleveland Browns ever trade Joel Bitonio to a hated division rival like the Baltimore Ravens? While it would be weird to see, stranger things have happened. The Ravens have a strong tackle duo in Ronnie Stanley and 2024 second-round pick Roger Rosengarten, but the guards leave a lot to be desired. Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele are both below-average starters better suited for backup work, and Bitonio could fix one of the few weaknesses on this team.
The Ravens already have an elite rushing attack led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and the ageless Derrick Henry. However, adding a high-level guard to the mix could turn this into an unstoppable attack while also providing more time for Jackson when he drops back to pass. After narrowly missing the Super Bowl in each of the past two seasons, a Joel Bitonio trade could be the missing piece to get this team over the hump.
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire – Imagn Images
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