Former Ravens LB Gets Warm Welcome From Steelers

Patrick Queen's transition from the Baltimore Ravens to the Pittsburgh Steelers continues to go well for him.

Oct 8, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen (6) shake hands after their game at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The feud between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers is arguably the fiercest in the entire NFL, so when a player goes from one side of the rivalry to the other, heads are naturally going to turn.

Linebacker Patrick Queen, who signed with Pittsburgh this offseason after four years in Baltimore, is a perfect example. The former Ravens first-round pick has drawn the ire of fans and pundits who once supported him, and he has leaned into the heel role with multiple comments comparing the two rivals.

In the locker room, though, it's been business as usual for Queen.

“When you’re on the opposite of the rivalry, you don’t know everybody, but you know the team,” Queen said, per SteelersWire. “So, I did expect some people to have some attitudes. I did expect some people to be a little rough. But everybody’s been smooth, everybody been cool. T.J. is the one I expected to be on the other side. But everybody is cool. I couldn’t ask for a better place.”

In reality, players putting aside their past differences is nothing too unusual. There have even been cases of players joining forces with someone they've publicly fought with before, and it's almost always water under the bridge. In that context, a former rival coming aboard doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

Fresh off his first Pro Bowl appearance, Queen signed a three-year, $41 million deal with the Steelers that made him one of the highest-paid inside linebackers in the league. He'll face some challenges in Pittsburgh, notably not playing alongside arguably the league's top off-ball linebacker in Baltimore's Roquan Smith, but he projects as a stable part of the Steelers' defense.

On the other hand, Ravens fans likely won't give Queen a warm welcome back when he returns to Baltimore on Dec. 21.

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