2025 marks the seventh consecutive year of the Browns’ Joel Bitonio–Wyatt Teller tandem at guard. It may well be the last, given the fact Bitonio contemplated retirement this offseason. 
The 12th-year Cleveland blocker is playing in 2025, and he and Teller are again expected to remain among the league’s best at their position. Bitonio is of course a candidate to hang up his cleats at the end of the year, while Teller is a pending free agent as things stand.
In the latter’s case, though, things could change relatively soon. Zac Jackson of The Athletic writes (subscription required) a Teller extension can be considered “somewhere between possible and likely.” For now, Teller’s deal is set to void on February 10, 2026. That will leave Cleveland with a cap charge of $10.39MM given the void years present in the pact. That dead money will need to be accounted for regardless of what happens, but another Teller commitment would be reasonable from the Browns’ perspective.
Over the course of his seven seasons (and counting) in Cleveland, the 30-year-old has racked up 83 starts and delivered consistent performances up front. Teller received a Pro Bowl invitation each season from 2021-23, and he has two second-team All-Pro nods to his name. Teller’s PFF evaluations early in the current season have been an improvement compared to last year, and he would be expected to maintain a high level of play in the event of a new deal being worked out.
After playing out most of his rookie contract in Cleveland, the former Giants draftee landed a $14.2MM-per-year pact in 2021. The guard market has surged since then, with seven of its members now earning $20MM or more annually. Teller would not be expected to move to the top of the pecking order in terms of AAV on a new Browns contract, but another notable investment could be in store. It will be interesting to see if talks on an extension pick up over the course of the campaign.
The 0-2 Browns have struggled up front based on their tackle play to date. Dawand Jones has struggled on the blindside, while veteran Jack Conklin (another pending free agent up front) has played just 20 snaps so far. Changes taking place at both tackle spots for next year would thus come as no surprise, but Teller could find himself in his familiar right guard role in 2026.
Hasn’t he suffered enough already?