Patrick Queen to Sign 3-Year, $41M Steelers Contract in NFL FA After Ravens Stint

One of the top linebackers in NFL free agency is on the move, as Patrick Queen agreed to a three-year, $41 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Queen confirmed the move to ESPN's Marcus Spears (h/t Adam Schefter of ESPN).

Ahead of the season, the Baltimore Ravens declined the fifth-year option in Queen's rookie contract, which is almost always a sign a first-round draft pick hasn't panned out.

Queen chose to accentuate the positive, calling it a "blessing in disguise."

"You see guys go both sides of it and get paid either way," he told reporters. "At the end of the day, I'm just focused on being the best teammate I can be, being the best player that I can be and just going out there and proving myself. Going out there and playing the game that I love to play at a high level."

The 24-year-old made Baltimore regret its decision by putting together the best season of his career. His 133 tackles were the second-most on the team, and he added 3.5 sacks, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Queen and teammate Roquan Smith occupied both of the inside linebacker spots on the AFC Pro Bowl Games squad.

After the Ravens' season concluded, Queen told reporters that he'd "of course" like to return but acknowledged the reality for every player hitting the open market.

"It's where I started it at, so it would definitely be nice if I'm back," he said. "At the same time, I just have to do what's best for me [and] do what's best for my family. Then, [the Ravens] have to do what's best for them on the other side as well. Wherever that leads to, it's up to God."

A reunion would've been great in theory for Baltimore but was always tough to envision.

Smith's $20 million average salary is the highest for an inside linebacker, and Queen will make $13.66 million annually with the Steelers.

For some context, no team is on track to have more than $25.2 million in salary-cap dollars committed to the position in 2024, per Spotrac. Continuing to pair Smith and Queen simply wasn't feasible, especially with how Lamar Jackson's five-year, $260 million contract restricts the front office's flexibility.

Not to mention, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike probably took priority if general manager Eric DeCosta was determined to keep at least one of his top defenders.

That pushed the door wide open for the Steelers

Even if the 2023 season is a bit of an outlier for Queen in terms of his top-end value, he has had 100-plus tackles in three of his first four years and missed just one game so far. At the very least, he possesses a high floor and should make his presence felt in the middle of Pittsburgh's defense.