PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen said he was not offered a contract by the Baltimore Ravens when he became a free agent earlier this year.
Queen, who signed a three-year, $41 million contract with the Steelers in March, was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2020 draft.
Baltimore declined Queen’s fifth-year option last year, opting instead to sign fellow linebacker Roquan Smith to a monster five-year, $100 million contract. After the Pro Bowl 2023 season, the Ravens were given the opportunity to retain the title again, but the Ravens gave up the title once again.
“I wasn’t wanted back,” Queen said Wednesday, four days before his first matchup against his former team. “I didn’t get an offer back. It’s definitely very upsetting to be there for four years and bonding with your teammates and stuff. You’ll definitely go through those emotions in the first few months.
“After you play a game, you just go by and you just want to win the game. You want to win with your teammates and your new teammates and bond with them. It’s all about the organization you’re in.” For now, anyone in my position would have emotions this week, so I’m just going to embrace the day, no matter what happens. ”
Queen hasn’t spoken to Ravens coach John Harbaugh or general manager Eric DeCosta since signing with Pittsburgh, but said he remains in touch with his teammates in Baltimore ( It may be a little less this week).
“The only person I talked to was Roquan,” Queen said. “I talked to him last week so we could talk at the beginning of the week. We both knew we were going to be locked up. I probably won’t get any messages from anyone this week.”
Despite a quiet start to his career with the Steelers, Queen was a major contributor to Pittsburgh’s recent wins over the New York Giants and Washington Commanders. At Washington, Queen led the Steelers with seven tackles and two runs scored. Prior to the bye, Queen had eight tackles and one quarterback pressure against the Giants.
“I just looked in the mirror and said I have to get back to myself,” Queen said. “I’ve been getting better over the last few weeks. I just have to raise the bar.”
At his inaugural press conference in Pittsburgh in March, Queen expressed excitement about being the next “villain” in the storied Steelers-Ravens rivalry and being where he is needed.
And although Queen publicly expressed optimism and readiness to become a Steeler at the time, he said Wednesday that it took him months to process his feelings of not being wanted by the organization that drafted him.
“Probably ‘until the end of August or early September,'” Queen said of how long it took her to sort through her emotions. “Even though I signed and stuff, you’re obviously still going through that feeling. Just knowing the four long years you put in blood, sweat and tears there. You bonded.” All the people you’ve developed relationships with, from staff to strength staff, and even training.
“Every time I went out to play, I put my body on the line, even when I could barely move my legs or whatever the injury was, I just went out there and tried to do my best for that team. This whole situation. Look, I definitely felt a certain way, but I’m over it now.”
Queen said he prayed to bring his emotions into the game in a positive way and said he did not intend to bring “extras” to Sunday’s pivotal meeting.
“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Queen said. “I think the outside circumstances make it bigger than reality. For me personally, it’s a similar situation for anyone in my position and would feel a certain way, but not necessarily. I don’t think it needed to be.’ Something more, something extra. ”
One of the things Queen is looking forward to Sunday is the chance to play against former teammate Lamar Jackson. The only experience he had ever played against Jackson was in a practice match, but the rules were a little different then.
“He wants to win,” Queen said. “He’s going to do whatever it takes to win and he knows what it takes. So from my perspective, just playing against him, I couldn’t tackle him in practice. Just, you should finally get a chance to actually tackle him. Have fun, he’s just a great competitor and can do anything on the field. So for me, it just goes against the best. ”
