Steelers' Queen: 'I wasn't wanted back' with Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen revealed Wednesday that the Baltimore Ravens didn't offer him a contract this past offseason.
"I wasn't wanted back," Queen said before his first game against his former team, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "I didn't get the offer back, and it is definitely kind upsetting being there for four years and the bond that you grow with your teammates and stuff."
Queen spent the first four years of his career in Baltimore after entering the league as the 28th overall pick in 2020. He had a breakout campaign in 2023 after an up-and-down start to his career, earning second-team All-Pro honors while racking up 133 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
The Ravens acquired Roquan Smith in a trade with the Chicago Bears in 2022 and made him the highest paid linebacker in the league with a five-year, $100-million contract.
Queen ultimately signed a three-year, $41-million contract with the Steelers in free agency after Baltimore declined his fifth-year option for the 2024 season. Since joining Pittsburgh, the LSU product says he hasn't spoken to his former head coach John Harbaugh or general manager Eric DeCosta.
"The only person I talked to is Roquan (Smith)," Queen added. "I talked to him last week just so we could talk early in the week because we know we'll both be locked in. Probably not going to get any messages from anybody this week."
Queen is second on the Steelers with 62 tackles heading into Week 11.