Steelers snipe rival’s former first-round pick to fill big need: Contract details, grade

Linebacker was a clear need for the Pittsburgh Steelers coming into 2024 NFL free agency or the draft, but fans wondered how they would go about addressing the need. The options were aplenty but it was all about finding the right player and deal.

New quarterback Russell Wilson seemed to be indicating that former Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. was the guy with his social media activity, but instead, the Steelers went out and stuck it to the rival Baltimore Ravens.

Multiple reports say that Pittsburgh is signing former Ravens first-round pick Patrick Queen to a contract, one that will certainly make fans in Baltimore queasy but will help address the Steelers need in a big way.

But let's look at the terms of this deal and assess whether or not the Steelers made the right call beyond just giving their AFC North rivals something sour to chew on.

Patrick Queen contract details, grade: Steelers land former Ravens first-round pick

ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter and ESPN analyst Marcus Spears reported the terms of the deal, and it's a three-year, $41 million contract that the Steelers will give Patrick Queen.

At just under $14 million per season that the Steelers are giving Queen, it's the right type of deal for what the former first-round pick has shown in his career.

Over his first two seasons with Baltimore, Queen looked more like a bust coming out of LSU than a steal for the Ravens. However, the past two seasons, specifically in 2023 under Mike Macdonald, have seen the linebacker start to realize more of his potential. He posted the best season of his career with a strong all-around performance a season ago, just in time to hit free agency.

For the Steelers, a franchise that spent much of last year trying to figure out linebacker only to be met with a barrage of injuries, Queen undoubtedly fills that void. At the same time, though, Queen is far from a perfect player. He's consistently struggled against the run and with his reliability as a tackler when moving downhill, which stands to reason given his undersized stature. He's been far more favorably graded in coverage and in the passing game.

This might be a slight overpay for the Steelers all told. Having said that, being able to poach him from the Ravens and fill a big need in a strong overall defense could lead to the continued ascension of Queen. It's definitely a dice-roll of sorts that will happen, to be sure, but it's a gamble that could pay off for Pittsburgh at the end of the day.

Steelers Contract Grade: B