When Patrick Queen signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers before the 2024 season, expectations were high. Coming from the Steelers’ biggest rivals in Baltimore, Queen had put together a very solid first four seasons of his career. A big signing, Queen was expected to make a massive impact on Pittsburgh’s defense.
Unfortunately, the 2024 season wasn’t consistent for Queen. It was a new defense, and he took the green dot, so Queen got a little leeway and fans hoped for some improvement in 2025. Improvement that was there at times, and there were certain games in which Queen did look dominant. But again, things were too inconsistent.
Heading into his seventh year, one of the biggest goals Queen has left is to win a Super Bowl. But he’s aware he might be starting to run out of time.
“Being able to hold that Super Bowl trophy, and just know that you like, on the top of the top, that’s a feeling that, you know, nobody going to be able to beat. I want to be able to feel that. I want to be able to experience that, and everything that comes with it,” Queen said this week on The Football Frame of Mind podcast. “It’s just so much stuff you think about. And I’m already in year seven, so it’s not like I’m just coming into the league. So it’s, time’s ticking. But I know I’m still just going to be getting better.”
There was some trade speculation with Patrick Queen this offseason. The Steelers were reportedly receiving calls on Queen, with the Dallas Cowboys being one team to show interest. Ultimately, those rumors died down, and it seems Queen will be staying in Pittsburgh.
That’s probably a smart decision by Pittsburgh. For one, Queen isn’t going to demand a massive return on the trade market. It might not be worth it to ship him off for a mid-round pick and have to rely on Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb and company. Pittsburgh could supplement the position through the draft, but with Queen’s experience, it’s worth having him around.
On the bright side for Queen, he’ll have a new defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham. That should be a help, with Queen mentioning the Steelers’ former defense was tough to play in. But he’s got to be more consistent himself, too. He led the team in missed tackles last year by a significant margin. Scheme can hurt players, but Queen has to dial in the fundamentals, too.
Heading into the final year of his deal, the Steelers will hope for more consistency from Patrick Queen in 2026. He’ll need to play that way to reach his ultimate goal of finally winning a Super Bowl. As his clock continues to tick, Queen will hope this Steelers’ roster is good enough to finally break through in the postseason.
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