{"id":184078,"date":"2026-04-03T01:52:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T01:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/184078\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T01:52:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T01:52:23","slug":"entering-final-year-of-steelers-contract-patrick-queen-switches-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/184078\/","title":{"rendered":"Entering Final Year Of Steelers Contract, Patrick Queen Switches Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"

With his next contract on the horizon, Patrick Queen has changed representation, leaving the Ballengee Group for IFA, according to an Instagram post from the agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n

IFA also represented Adam Thielen, Daniel Ekuale, JC Hassenauer, to name a few former Steelers who did business with the agency.<\/p>\n

Queen signed a three-year, $41 million deal in March 2024, so he is entering the final season before hitting unrestricted free agency next March. There has been no indication that the Steelers intend on extending him, but perhaps this move signals that as a possibility. Conversely, it\u2019s also worth a reminder that Queen was the subject of trade rumors in March<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Multiple prominent reporters who cover the Dallas Cowboys reported that Queen was drawing interest from both the Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles while hinting at other interested parties. If a trade were going to happen, it would have made the most sense to get that out of the way prior to his March 13 roster bonus of $2.5 million<\/a>, but the Steelers could still save over $10 million (minus the cost of his replacement) on his 2026 base salary by dealing him.<\/p>\n

With limited options remaining in free agency, the Steelers likely wouldn\u2019t trade Queen until the draft. They need to make sure they can draft his replacement in the early rounds if that\u2019s the plan. Though they extended Cole Holcomb to pair with Payton Wilson and Malik Harrison, Queen\u2019s departure would still leave a glaring gap in the middle of the defense. And the Steelers have worked hard to make sure they don\u2019t have a pressing need that drastically influences their draft plans in the first round or two.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Pittsburgh, there are quite a few highly rated inside linebackers in this draft. They have already hosted ILB prospects Kyle Louis, Jacob Rodriguez, and Harold Perkins Jr. for pre-draft visits<\/a>, and they spoke to Jake Golday in a formal meeting at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.<\/p>\n

An agency switch isn\u2019t necessarily newsworthy on its own, but the timing of this with credible trade rumors last month should raise some eyebrows.<\/p>\n