This offseason has seen a lot of smoke about the Steelers’ starting green-dot linebacker Patrick Queen. I have a theory about why. Tell me what you think.

Time With The Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens drafted Queen in 2020 as a 20 year old athletic wunderkind who was all promise and little accomplishment. The pick came with an obvious plan. Baltimore ran a 3-4 defense. Queen would be one of the two starters, learn from the 30 year old veteran L.J. Fort, and then take over in Year 2 as the lead dog. It didn’t work out. The (very) young rookie flashed the advertised athletic brilliance, but regularly played from a step behind because he didn’t read his keys quickly enough. Still, at the end of the Covid season he’d racked up a highly respectable 106 tackles. “Huh,” said the fans. “I didn’t realize he played that well.”

In Year 2 Queen improved, and no one could question that, but not enough to keep the fans from muttering the dreaded B word. Only 98 tackles? “Regression! See? I told you so.” Never mind that 98 tackles is pretty darned good, especially since the team was asking him to do more thinking.

Would he finally ‘get it’ in Year 3? The answer came back a resounding “Maybe,” followed by an absolute “yes.” The turning point came in the beginning of November, right after the team acquired the NFL’s best linebacker, Roquan Smith. Smith reads offenses and manages defenses at almost the same level as Ray Lewis had back in the day. He came in, took charge, and suddenly Patrick Queen looked like a whole different player. He flashed around the field cleaning up anything that managed to elude Smith, while fitting seamlessly into the defensive tricks, traps, and overall scheme. 117 tackles.

Year 4 looked even better. Queen continued to play Robin to Smith’s Batman, and no one complained at all. 133 tackles and a pro bowl appearance. “Don’t forget that Robin is a superhero too!” cawed the Ravens faithful.

The Years In Pittsburgh

Baltimore declined Patrick Queen’s 5th year option, and the Steelers snapped him up in free agency: 3 years, $41 Million, covering 2024-2026. Queen responded by looking exactly as he’d done every year: just a smidgen better than he was the season before. But now the measuring stick had moved. Pittsburgh wanted its own Batman. Patrick Queen, however, looked like a sidekick struggling to stand on his own, and who found the footing more treacherous than expected. Still, the statistics were there and were real. 129 tackles is serious production. Everyone would have been delighted if Steelers Nation hadn’t also expected Queen to come out from beneath Roquan Smith’s shadow. Production, yes; emergence, no.

2025 continued the career-long pattern. Patrick Queen (now 26 years old) got better, and everyone conceded that point, but he didn’t improve fast enough to satisfy the fans. Yes, there were a few midseason games where he really did look like Batman himself. “Finally!” said the fans. But he dipped back and forth toward Robin as well. “How can anyone be Mr. Almost for six years in a bloody row? He’s getting paid more than he produces!”

To be fair, Patrick Queen has as many supporters as detractors. It’s just that every positive gets met with a slew of questions.

Mike Tomlin thinks the world of him, and no one has ever said an ill word about him as a man. “Oh yeah? I hate Tomlin! And Queen’s just another Mr. Mediocre!”
Are you really complaining about 120 tackles? How many do you expect? “Lies, damned lies, and statistics! He could have had another 30 if not for all the ‘almost’ versions!”
His football IQ has improved every year. Why doubt that 2026 will see more of the genius and less of the merely good? “I’m sick of ‘almost!’ I’ll bet Payton Wilson’s growth has lagged because Queen can’t lead well enough!” {Huh?} “He owes us!” {What?} “I’ll bet he was arguing with the coaches because he secretly wants to only be a .500 team!” {Are you nuts?} “And he is still getting paid more than he produces!” {Okay, that one could be fair…}

The Current Situation

The fan base hasn’t been happy with Patrick Queen because his play hasn’t made us stop worrying, and has fallen a little short of the level expected for two years running. Queen’s 3-year salary equates to at least A- play, with the Steelers earning a profit if he produces more than that. Instead the team got a solid “B” in 2024, and a “B+” in 2025. Not bad, but not as good as expected.

We’re fair enough to concede the defensive line lapses, and how much that interferes with ILB play. And yes, Patrick Queen has been the very definition of an iron man on the field. He’s available, and we know that matters. All in all he’s been a nice player. But he hasn’t been the star who could raise the team up when other parts faltered. Patrick Queen has, like his whole career, come within sight of lofty expectations, but never grasped hold of the proverbial ring; almost but not quite there.

And now we’re looking at the final season of that 3-year deal.

To extend or not to extend? That is the question for Omar Khan. And he’s being asked to figure it out in the midst of some major upheaval. Mike Tomlin has retired, which no doubt made Patrick Queen as unhappy as all the other veterans. Many of them came to Pittsburgh just to play for Coach T. Scattered interviews suggest that Queen was one of those. And now Coach Tomlin is gone.

I’ve no doubt that Patrick Queen responded to the front office’s approach by saying something like this: “I’m not saying I want out, but why the heck should I offer a home town or Coach T discount when Coach T was b*tch-and-moaned into retirement? I’m willing to extend my contract now, but only for the same A- rate I took before. You can clearly see where my play is headed, so that’s what I am worth. Either that, or we wait until I’m a 2027 free agent and let the market decide. Or you can trade me. I wouldn’t complain about that option either. Feel free to go shopping.”

That would have been my position as his agent. And it’s perfectly reasonable imho. Teams don’t pay bonuses when players perform better than they’re paid for. They just pocket the profit. And they have no right to demand a discount when players fail to produce that profit. Today’s contract is for next year’s future performance, not what is in the past. And Patrick Queen is still a young man whose career is on the rise.

That impasse would make sense of everything we’ve seen in this offseason. Rumors about potential trades? Check. Why not explore the possibility? Signing Cole Holcomb to a two-year deal? Absolutely. He’ll be a great backup if Queen stays, and a great veteran presence to lead the defense if Queen gets replaced with a rookie. Pay Patrick Queen’s $2.5 Million roster bonus in early March? Sure thing. The team doesn’t want him to leave. Omar Khan is merely exploring all the related markets to see what this player would receive on the open market, and what Pittsburgh might get back in a trade. Paying that bonus kept Queen here, and only sweetens his trade value.

What Comes Next?

I don’t think Omar Khan wants to pay full retail price for Patrick Queen. Not with all the young talent coming up for their second contracts, and not with the moderate sting of Queen’s “almost” success in the prior deal. Nor do I see any reason why Patrick Queen would accept less than his full retail value, especially after Tomlin’s departure.

That is a bad combination. So much so that I find it hard to see a way for Queen to be on the 2027 roster unless some drastic injury (or brilliant negotiating) intervenes.

I.e., the team would be wise to target ILB in the draft no matter what, and ILB will turn into a primary “want” if Patrick Queen gets traded.  And it’s pretty clear that a trade would make sense for everyone involved. But on what terms?

The normal approach would be the player in exchange for draft compensation to replace him with someone younger. When the rumors about a potential deal with Dallas came out, speculation put Queen’s value somewhere in the range of a Round 5 pick. I personally think he would be worth a 4th if Pittsburgh was looking to fill his position, so that is what I would normally demand in Omar Khan’s shoes. Rumor had it that Dallas balked at more than a 6th. But here we get to the complication.

What the devil would Pittsburgh do with another Round 5 selection in the 2026 draft? The Steelers already have twelve (12!) picks, and all of Steeler Nation expects some fancy trade activity to either move up in the draft or move some of the excess into 2027. So we’re probably talking about something more like Pittsburgh demanding a next-year’s Round 3, and other teams offering a 2027 Round 5. Fancy footwork indeed.

What would you do in Omar Khan’s shoes? My prescription would be some slightly more elaborate deal, such as Patrick Queen plus some of our excess 2026 picks in exchange for that 2027 3rd. I might even sweeten the exchange enough to gain a next-year’s Round 2. Time to get busy…

Not A Conclusion

A quick Internet search pulled up the following teams as likely buyers for a player such as Patrick Queen. What sort of deals do you think would work? Patrick Queen + what to trade up? Patrick Queen + what in a trade back? Patrick Queen + what in a straight trade to get that coveted Day 2 pick in 2027? Please drop your ideas in the comments. Here are those teams and their current draft picks:

N.Y. Giants = Own picks 1:05, 2:37, 4:105, 5:145, 6:186, 6:192, and 6:193.
Cincinnati Bengals = Own picks 1:10, 2:41, 3:72, 4:110, 6:189, 6:199, 7:221, and 7:226.
Dallas Cowboys = Own picks 1:12, 1:20, 3:92, 4:112, 5:152, 5:177, 5:180, and 7:218
Tampa Bay Buccaneers = Own picks 1:15, 2:46, 3:77, 4:116, 5:155, 6:195, and 7:229
Carolina Panthers = Own picks 1:19, 2:51, 3:83, 4:119, 5:158, 5:159, and 6:200.
Buffalo Bills = Own picks 1:26, 3:91, 4:126, 5:165, 5:168, 6:182, and 7:220.
Denver Broncos = No Round 1 or Round 3 picks. Own picks 2:62, 4:108, 4:111, 5:170, 7:246, 7:256, and 7:257.

Here is my preferred draft value chart to use as a guide. The Steelers selections are rimmed in blue.