It took a while for the Steelers to make some noise in free agency, but man, did they make a splash. The Steelers are signing LB Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41-million contract, according to multiple reports.
In signing Queen, the Steelers are adding an elite player to the middle of their defense. In four seasons with the Ravens, Queen recorded 454 tackles, 13.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, 15 passes defensed and four interceptions. Queen finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, and was named second-team All Pro last season.
In breaking down the contract, Queen's cap hit in 2024 will be only $6,113,333, followed by cap hits of $17,693,333 in 2025 and $17,193,334 in 2026. The 2024 cap hit includes a $2.25 million salary and one-third of his $11.59-million signing bonus ($3.86 million). So, even after landing Queen in free agency, the Steelers still have $19.49 million in cap space, still maintaining the flexibility to restructure contracts to create even more room.
Fans have every right to be excited by this move, and aren't the only ones ...
This signing breaks a lot of precedents on the South Side. The Steelers do not play at the top of the market in free agency, even when they've been active. In signing Queen, they've added the best inside linebacker in the free agent market, and did it in a way that doesn't overly break the bank, either.
Also, this is a really interesting story behind this signing. Just this past season, Queen told a story about Mike Tomlin, saying, "When I was on their sideline my rookie year, Mike Tomlin was looking at me, yelling at me, 'You're not a Raven. You're not supposed to be there. You're not one of them.' So, every time I play them, it's something personal."
Turns out, Tomlin was right.
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
2:01 pm - 03.12.2024Forney, TexasSteelers to sign Queen
It took a while for the Steelers to make some noise in free agency, but man, did they make a splash. The Steelers are signing LB Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41-million contract, according to multiple reports.
In signing Queen, the Steelers are adding an elite player to the middle of their defense. In four seasons with the Ravens, Queen recorded 454 tackles, 13.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, 15 passes defensed and four interceptions. Queen finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, and was named second-team All Pro last season.
In breaking down the contract, Queen's cap hit in 2024 will be only $6,113,333, followed by cap hits of $17,693,333 in 2025 and $17,193,334 in 2026. The 2024 cap hit includes a $2.25 million salary and one-third of his $11.59-million signing bonus ($3.86 million). So, even after landing Queen in free agency, the Steelers still have $19.49 million in cap space, still maintaining the flexibility to restructure contracts to create even more room.
Fans have every right to be excited by this move, and aren't the only ones ...
And from Steelers inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry:
And some aren't so happy about it ...
This signing breaks a lot of precedents on the South Side. The Steelers do not play at the top of the market in free agency, even when they've been active. In signing Queen, they've added the best inside linebacker in the free agent market, and did it in a way that doesn't overly break the bank, either.
Also, this is a really interesting story behind this signing. Just this past season, Queen told a story about Mike Tomlin, saying, "When I was on their sideline my rookie year, Mike Tomlin was looking at me, yelling at me, 'You're not a Raven. You're not supposed to be there. You're not one of them.' So, every time I play them, it's something personal."
Turns out, Tomlin was right.
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