Patrick Queen has struggled to live up to 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 two sides have had some initial discussions about a new 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 end 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 first two years of that pact, culminating in a 2025 campaign where he ranked 79th among 88 qualifying linebackers. The website 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 came to fruition.
The Steelers haven’t done a whole lot to reinforce the position this offseason. The team did re-sign key depth piece Cole Holcomb, and Payton Wilson is entrenched at the other linebacker spot. Still, the team will continue 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 look to install Patrick Graham‘s new defense.
While Queen’s performance doesn’t necessarily warrant a contract standoff, he was notably absent from the first week of OTAs before recently showing up for this week’s practices. Unless the Steelers are able to extend Queen for a below-market price, there’s a good chance they’ll let the 2026 campaign play out before committing to another contract.