PITTSBURGH – During the first few weeks of offseason training, it was a shock to Mike Tomlin to see Patrick Queen in a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey.

“He said, ‘You still don’t look good in black and gold,'” the Pro Bowl linebacker recalled Tomlin’s words in a recent interview with The Baltimore Banner.

But when training camp began, the longtime Steelers head coach decided the combination looked “perfect” for Queen.

For Ravens fans – and players – the new color scheme remains troubling. Queen was the Ravens’ first-round pick in 2020, a supremely gifted athlete who didn’t immediately live up to high expectations but developed into one of the NFL’s better middle linebackers alongside Roquan Smith by last season.

However, with Smith already facing a $13.5 million salary cap hit in 2024 – a number that will rise in the coming years – and a seemingly capable replacement on the roster with Trenton Simpson, the Ravens declined to pick up Queen’s fifth-year option in the 2023 offseason and then let him enter free agency in March. They have often shown confidence in their Day 1 and Day 2 draft picks, even rewarding those who don’t deliver immediately by picking up their fifth-year option or giving them an extension.

But Queen was on the second All-Pro team and then gone – to Baltimore’s biggest rival, on a three-year, $41 million contract.

That goal has led to numerous verbal exchanges between Queen and Ravens players. At his introductory press conference in Pittsburgh, Queen said he wants to be “that bad guy” for the Ravens. He will clearly be a major figure in the rivalry when the teams face off this season. But behind all the noise is a player who is as grateful for his time with the Ravens as he is eager to show he can stand on his own two feet.

Leading the conversation

In a way, it’s fitting that Queen ended up with the Steelers and heightened the rivalry’s tension. As a Raven, he held a grudge against Tomlin for years based on something the coach said to him when he was a rookie.

Last October, Queen added fuel to the fire by recalling 2020, when Tomlin shouted at him from the sidelines: “You’re not Raven. You shouldn’t be here.”

Queen took it personally. It might have been a joke. But Queen didn’t care.

The Steelers usually had the last laugh anyway; Queen went 1-7 as a starter against Pittsburgh, including a 17-10 loss in January that kept the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive. About two months later, Queen signed with Tomlin’s team. He now says Tomlin was a big reason why.

“I think that was a clue,” Queen told Pittsburgh-area reporters in his introductory press conference. “Even though I wanted to fight him right away, that was a clue at the time.”

Queen has since met Tomlin and he says he has learned that Tomlin loves to make rubbish with his players – and sometimes To his players. This makes them a good couple: Queen has never shied away from sharing his feelings and he likes to play the villain.

After a few seasons with the Ravens, he has fully embraced the rivalry’s animosity, and freely admits that if someone had told him two years ago where he would be today, he would have scoffed.

“PQ (at the time) would have said, ‘You’re crazy. You’re all in the same division. There’s no way that’s going to happen,'” Queen said.

Still, “PQ” enjoys his status as a villain in Baltimore, feuding with former teammates and fans on X (formerly known as Twitter). After cornerback Marlon Humphrey said the grass might not be greener for Queen in Pittsburgh, Queen posted a video of himself watering a very healthy-looking lawn.

The banter continues. Humphrey issued a warning to Queen in a recent episode of his podcast: “He’s not aware of what he’s done. Oh, he better buckle up. He better buckle up, mate. He better buckle up.”

Of course, Humphrey also mentioned that he can’t really hate Queen since they’re friends. And this is where his heel turn in general starts to crumble: Queen will play the role, but he remains close friends with many Ravens players. Plus, his departure wasn’t a shock; he had seen it coming over the course of last season.

An amicable end

Both the Queens and the Ravens had expressed interest in extending their contracts before last season, but no deal was reached that worked for both sides.

“People jump to conclusions (and say), ‘Oh, (Simpson) is going to replace Patrick,'” general manager Eric DeCosta said last offseason. “I can tell you this. Patrick Queen had a hell of a year last year. Patrick Queen is a very talented linebacker, in my opinion, who belongs in the Pro Bowl. He’s going to have a great year this year.”

“We want Patrick Queen on this team; we want to keep him on this team. We will try to sign him at some point, hopefully with a contract extension if we can.”

DeCosta was right when he said Queen would be a Pro Bowl linebacker. He was wrong when he said he needed to make a deal.

Queen didn’t let himself get discouraged, focused and gave it his all for the Ravens, sometimes even making plays while playing in pain. He finished with a career-high 133 tackles, perhaps the best defense in the NFL, and helped the Ravens make their best run to a Super Bowl since 2012.

But the more Queen proved his worth, the less likely it became that he would stay, because another player was on the rise: Defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike recorded 10 sacks in his first 12 games.

“I was already told it was going to be me or Madubuike and I already knew the defensive line was the priority,” Queen said.

As the final game of the regular season approached—coincidentally, the game against the Steelers—Queen sensed he would be moving on after the season ended. That meant he also knew the speculation that Simpson would replace him was probably true.

Despite knowing this, Queen left the field and went to the podium after the game to praise Simpson.

“Unbelievable, I’m proud of him,” Queen said of the rookie after he made five tackles, including two for loss, in his first extended play of the year. “I couldn’t be happier for him, great guy. He made me nervous; we went through all the calls and stuff and he just asked a ton of questions to figure everything out. But that’s why you see the way he played. He’s just at the top of his game, dynamic, maybe faster than me. I just love the guy, great player.”

Two games later, Queen’s career as a Raven was over. When he went to the locker room to pack up his things, his noncommittal answers said it all.

“Yeah, of course,” Queen told reporters when asked if he wanted to play for the Ravens again. “This is where I started, so it would definitely be nice to come back. At the same time, I just have to do what’s best for me (and) what’s best for my family. Then they have to do what’s best for them on the other side, too. Wherever that leads, it’s in God’s hands.”

Even then, Queen was mentally preparing to play on a different team next season, and a different uniform would hang in a different locker.

New beginnings

Queen says he started hearing from teams as soon as free agency began. He never expected to hear from the Steelers, but they were among the first to reach out.

“I was shocked, honestly,” Queen says. “I was shocked that they were actually after me and stuff, and the whole transition was just crazy.”

After getting over the shock, Queen began to seriously consider what it would be like to play for a rival team, looking at the guys he would be playing with – and the opportunity to grow with another traditionally strong defense.

The news broke on March 12. Almost immediately, his former Ravens teammates responded on social media, most notably quarterback Lamar Jackson, who tweeted a picture of SpongeBob SquarePants and wrote, in part, “You died to me.” Queen sat next to Jackson in the locker room last year and says they texted back and forth as free agency progressed. He found that tweet and others from his Ravens friends hilarious.

He can’t wait to face his former teammates on the field, although he won’t actually be facing anyone on defense. He’ll have to settle for tight end Isaiah Likely, a matchup he’s looking forward to.

“I like to talk nonsense, he likes to talk nonsense,” says Queen. “But he’s more of a joker when he talks nonsense.”

Queen knows how his decision was received by Ravens fans. Some, who don’t know the NFL is a business, took it personally. Some are sad but wish him well. Others are angry and bitter. Fans love to talk, and many have said Queen was only good last season because he played alongside Smith. And they’re already predicting Simpson will be even better.

Queen attributes his breakout season to personal growth and development, great coaching from then-inside linebackers coach Zach Orr and then-defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s scheme. He doesn’t deny that having a great partner in Smith helped.

Smith, for his part, says Queen was already on the rise before his arrival.

And as for Simpson? Queen only wants the best for him.

“I’ve always been on his side,” Queen said. “I just hope he’s better than me.”

When he decided to leave Baltimore, Queen knew right away he was going to be the bad guy. He says he was willing to accept that. But as much as he looks forward to provoking his former teammates on the field, he also misses them. They still text and play video games together.

“When you’re there for four years, you build bonds with people, and that’s something that doesn’t go away,” Queen says. “It doesn’t disappear.”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the number of months between the Ravens’ loss to the Steelers in January and the announcement in March that Patrick Queen would be transferring teams.