Patrick Queen trolls ex-Ravens teammate over criticisms of signing with rival Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a flurry of transactions this offseason. The acquisitions of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will undoubtedly dominate the narratives, but Pittsburgh's most crucial roster move may have come on the defensive side of the ball.

The Steelers made middle linebacker Patrick Queen the richest free-agent signing in franchise history with a three-year, $41 million contract in March. The signing made stomachs churn: Queen, who was formerly with the Baltimore Ravens, had crossed enemy lines.

"This actually hurts me," Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey posted after the signing.

Queen's betrayal is just the latest footnote of a storied divisional rivalry. For decades, the AFC North was one of the most grueling divisions in the NFL. With all-time greats like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Troy Polamalu lurking and delivering bone-crushing hits, each blade of grass had to be seized with sacrifice.

Times may have changed, but there is no love lost between Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and Queen has been willing to "be the villain" in a rivalry that is already steeped in venom.

So far, Queen couldn’t be happier about trading Charm City’s purple and black for Steel City’s black and gold. Queen has spent the offseason embracing the villain role by taking verbal jabs at the Ravens organization and the city of Baltimore. The former Raven said the Steelers give him a better opportunity to win and later told reporters a slew of reasons why he loves Pittsburgh more than Baltimore — the atmosphere, the people, the food, the head coach, the defense, and so forth.

Patrick Queen continues to reignite the Steelers and Ravens rivalry

On a recent episode of the "Punch Line Podcast with Marlon Humphrey," his former teammate took the time to respond to Queen's joyful experience in Pittsburgh, suggesting that Queen may just be in a honeymoon phase with the Steelers.

"I've been with the Ravens for a while," Humphrey said. "I've seen this same story go down with a lot of guys. ... Reality sets in eventually, okay? I hope it's great over there, but ... I have seen this story."

Queen responded on social media with a video of himself watering his lawn, suggesting that the grass is, in fact, greener in Pittsburgh.

Queen may have a valid reason to feel betrayed by Baltimore. The Ravens drafted Queen in the first-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but declined to pick up his fifth-year option last offseason. Instead, the team traded for Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith and made him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in NFL history. At that point, the writing was on the wall for Queen’s departure from Baltimore.

Queen may be the most accomplished player to switch sides in this heated rivalry. He is just 24 years old and hasn't missed a single game in his career. In 2023, he compiled one interception, one forced fumble, six pass deflections, and a career-high 133 combined tackles. Queen was named a second-team All-Pro on a Ravens defense that allowed just 16.5 points per game, the fewest in the league. 

This likely isn't the end of this back-and-forth. While Queen and Roquan clearly have a friendly relationship with each other, Baltimore's fans likely won't receive Queen's comments as kindly when the Steelers visit M&T Bank Stadium on December 21.