By The Athletic NFL Staff
2h ago
The Pittsburgh Steelers and linebacker Patrick Queen accepted a three-year, $41 million offer, a league source verified Tuesday.
Queen has actually invested the very first 4 years of his profession with the Baltimore Ravenswho prepared him with the No. 28 choice in 2020. He’s begun 67 profession video games, amounting to 454 overall deals with, 13.5 sacks, 4 interceptions and 5 required fumbles because period.
The 24-year-old inside linebacker will sign up with a Steelers linebacking corps that consists of Elandon Roberts Cole Holcomb and Mark Robinson
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In 2023, the Ravens decreased to get Queen’s fifth-year choice and after that prepared Trenton Simpson in the 3rd round. He went on to be called a second-team All-Pro and make his very first Pro Bowl group.
Queen was the top-ranked linebacker and No. 17 gamer in The Athletic‘s Randy Mueller’s totally free firm rankings
How unexpected is this?
From the minute when the Ravens traded for Roquan Smith and after that made him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFLit appeared extremely not likely that Queen would get a 2nd agreement with the group that made him a first-round choice in 2020. The Ravens liked whatever about Queen, from his volatility on the field to his durability (he never ever missed out on a video game in 4 seasons), to his work principles.
When you’re paying a franchise quarterback, you have to make some hard choices with the rest of your lineup, and it simply never ever was feasible for the group to pay huge cash to 2 inside linebackers. The Ravens definitely hoped that Queen would wind up outside the department and not with their most significant competitor, however they understand the Steelers worth comparable attributes in gamers that they do, so this could not have actually been a big surprise. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat author
How he fits
The Steelers have actually remained in the marketplace for an every-down inside linebacker given that Ryan Shazier’s career-ending injury in 2017. With Holcomb (in 2015’s huge free-agent finalizing) and Kwon Alexander coming off severe injuries (Alexander is likewise a totally free representative) and Robinson having a hard time to take the action from unique teamer to starter, the requirement was fantastic at that position. Queen will couple with Roberts and provide the Steelers a 4th protective playmaker along with Cameron Heyward T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick—M