Sports Media

Cleveland Browns Agree To Mega Contract Extension With Guard Joel Bitonio, Add Center J.C. Tretter Via Free Agency

Trey Daubert / NFL / March 9, 2017

Browns Offensive Line — The Cleveland Browns have made an effort to improve the offensive line. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)

Joel Bitonio is about to receive a hefty raise. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that Bitonio will receive a new contract extension worth $51 million over 5 years. NFL Network reported added the news on J.C. Tretter who joins the Browns via the Packers.

Browns are giving Joel Bitonio a 5-year, $51 million extension that includes $23 million guaranteed, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2017

JC Tretter will officially be a Cleveland Brown in about five hours. That deal is getting done. Expected to be their new center.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 9, 2017

Bitonio, 25, has proved to be one of the best interior offensive linemen in the NFL. He has been injury prone in recent years only playing 5 games in 2016 and 10 games in 2015. He did not play enough snaps to register an overall player grade on the season compared to other offensive linemen according to Pro Football Focus.

After losing Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack last offseason, the Browns wanted to make sure they weren’t going to let any more elite linemen walk out of the door. The Tretter addition will move Cam Erving to guard after he struggled in 2016 at center. Cleveland has a ton of cap space to spend this offseason so this likely won’t be the last move they make as they have already signed wide receiver Kenny Britt.