Free Agency Fallout: Harbaugh Reveals Ravens' Feelings About Patrick Queen Joining Steelers

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has revealed his feelings toward linebacker Patrick Queen after he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.

AFC Championship - Kansas City Chiefs v Baltimore Ravens / Kathryn Riley/GettyImages

The Baltimore Ravens suffered a significant loss this offseason when All-Pro linebacker Patrick Queen left and signed with the team’s division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh has now revealed his feelings toward Queen following his controversial free agency decision.

AFC Championship - Kansas City Chiefs v Baltimore Ravens / Kathryn Riley/GettyImages

"Patrick is a great player and great guy,” Harbaugh said. “He's one of my all-time favorite people. We'll be friends forever. I'm a big fan of Pat Queen."

It’s nice to see that there was no love lost between Harbaugh and Queen following the decision, but it's hard to imagine that fans won’t view Queen as a frenemy of sorts now that he’ll be suiting up in Steelers yellow rather than in purple.

Queen represents a massive signing for head coach Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, considering that the team has struggled at inside linebacker since losing Pro Bowl linebacker Ryan Shazier in 2017 to a career-ending injury on the field.

Now, the team hopes to have finally ended its search for an elite linebacker by signing Queen, who is fresh off of his first-ever All-Pro and Pro Bowl team appearances.

Last year, Queen had a career-high 133 total tackles in the regular season, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception while playing alongside Roquan Smith, who’s revered as one of the best players in football regardless of position. 

Next season should be an interesting one for the storied rivalry between Pittsburgh and Baltimore, but first, Harbaugh must focus on this year’s NFL Draft and potentially find a replacement for Queen on his defense.