The Steelers-Ravens rivalry has a new battle royal storyline.
Former Baltimore linebacker Patrick Queen is signing with Pittsburgh on a three-year-deal, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday, per a source.
Queen's deal is expected to be worth up to $41 million, per Rapoport. At $13.6 million per season, his salary ranks seventh-most among current inside linebackers.
For Pittsburgh, the hope is that he'll fill a big void in the middle of their defense that has largely been unfilled since Ryan Shazier's career-ending injury in 2017. The Steelers were gutted by injuries at the position, losing both Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander last season.
The 6-foot, 230-pound Queen -- still only 24 years old -- is coming off his best season to date. He totaled 133 tackles (nine for losses), 3.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, being named to his first Pro Bowl as well as earning second-team All Pro honors. Queen has never missed a game in his four-year NFL career, starting all 67 regular-season contests for Baltimore.
The Ravens declined Queen's fifth-year option a year ago and ended up giving his fellow linebacker, Roquan Smith, a lucrative extension after trading for Smith from the Bears. That appeared to signal a likely exit for Queen, Baltimore's first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, with the budget tightened after new contracts for Smith and Lamar Jackson, among others.
Some thought Queen might follow new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald to Seattle after the former Ravens defensive coordinator oversaw Queen's breakout season. Instead, he'll stay in the division and get the chance to remind his former team twice per season what it'll miss.
Queen's exit from Baltimore comes on the same day the Ravens signed running back Derrick Henry. The newest Steelers LB's directive will be trying to stop King Henry twice a year against his former team.
