One of the NFL’s bigger free agent signings is still being reminded about his supposed lack of loyalty.
Former Ravens inside linebacker Patrick Queen, who signed a three-year, $41 million deal with the archrival Steelers in March, has continued to receive pushback from former Baltimore teammates.
Appearing on “The Punch Line Podcast” which he co-hosts with Jack Settleman, Ravens All-Pro corner Marlon Humphrey offered skepticism that Queen made the right decision regarding a new team.
“I’ve been with the Ravens for a while. I’ve seen this same story go down with a lot of guys,” Humphrey said. “‘It’s the best place on Earth, this new place I’m at. It’s not like the Ravens.’ Reality sets in eventually.”
In response to a headline saying that the “grass isn’t always greener,” Queen posted a video of himself watering his lawn while sipping a glass of wine — implying that the idiom is still true on the other side.
Queen hasn’t been shy in praising the Steel City after playing his first four years in the Charm City.
“It’s a better atmosphere here for me,” Queen told The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. “Everybody is cool, the people are cool, the players are cool and the food spots are better.”
Queen’s former Baltimore teammates have also thrown subliminal shade over social media.
For instance, All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton responded to Queen’s video with a meme suggesting that nobody was amused with Queen’s jokes about moving to Pittsburgh.
However, Queen has remained unabashed in defending his new team, regularly trolling fans on platforms like X.
Still just 24, Queen has developed into one of the better off-ball linebackers in pro football.
In 2023, Queen was one of three linebackers to post 27-plus pressures and 50-plus stops, according to Pro Football Focus.
Pittsburgh, which seldom splurges on the open market, made the LSU product the fifth-highest paid ILB by average annual salary.
Queen will face his former team for the first time in Week 11.
While Steelers-Ravens matchups are always intense, there should be extra motivations on both sides in 2024.