MAY 30: When reflecting on his current status, Queen also said (via Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) there was some truth to speculation regarding a possible trade this offseason. Nothing was ever imminent on that front, nevertheless. Uncertainty will proceed to loom over Queen’s future beyond 2026, but he is about to spend a 3rd 12 months as a key member of Pittsburgh’s defense.
MAY 28: Patrick Queen has struggled to live as much as expectations through his first two seasons in Pittsburgh. That apparently hasn’t stopped the Steelers from engaging in extension talks with the veteran linebacker.
When asked about his contract status, Queen acknowledged that the 2 sides have had some initial discussions a few latest deal.
“It was talks here and there,” Queen told the Steelers beat (including ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). “Nothing crazy. … Obviously no movement either way. At the tip of the day, they got a business to handle. I got a business to handle.”
Following a standout 2023 campaign with the Ravens, Queen joined their AFC North rivals via a three-year, $41MM contract. His grades from PFF have slipped in each of the primary two years of that pact, culminating in a 2025 campaign where he ranked 79th amongst 88 qualifying linebackers. The web site also credited Queen with a career-worst 20.4% missed tackle rate. Despite his struggles, the 26-year-old reportedly generated some trade interest from the Cowboys this offseason, although a swap obviously never got here to fruition.
The Steelers haven’t done a complete lot to strengthen the position this offseason. The team did re-sign key depth piece Cole Holcomb, and Payton Wilson is entrenched at the opposite linebacker spot. Still, the team will proceed to be reliant on Queen in 2026. After being handed the “green dot” responsibility through his first two years with the organization, perhaps the Steelers value Queen’s veteran leadership, especially as they appear to put in Patrick Graham‘s latest defense.
While Queen’s performance doesn’t necessarily warrant a contract standoff, he was notably absent from the primary week of OTAs before recently showing up for this week’s practices. Unless the Steelers are in a position to extend Queen for a below-market price, there’s a great likelihood they’ll let the 2026 campaign play out before committing to a different contract.