One of the biggest splashes the Pittsburgh Steelers made in the 2024 offseason was bringing in Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen. It wasn’t just any signing, Queen was leaving the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers’ biggest rival. Fast forward a year later, and the move looks like a good one for Pittsburgh. Queen put together a solid first year in the Steel City, and also earned another trip to the Pro Bowl. He ended up finishing with his highest single-season tackle total of his career, proving he was exactly the kind of difference maker the Steelers were hoping for.
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Steelers middle linebacker Patrick Queen (6) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Back in March of 2024, the Steelers gave Queen a three-year deal worth $41 million. Ever since the injury to Ryan Shazier in 2017, Steelers fans had been calling for more consistency at the inside linebacker spot, and Queen has stepped in and filled that hole.
What really made the deal even better was the fact that one of Baltimore’s best young defenders decided to cross enemy lines and join a rival. That doesn’t happen often in the NFL, especially between teams with as much history and as much hate as the Steelers and Ravens.
Queen decided to move from one of the most respectable teams in the league, to another. Baltimore has been one of the most stable franchises in football under John Harbaugh, and the Steelers have always been consistently competitive under Mike Tomlin. Both teams are built on physical defense, strong culture, and coaches who know how to lead. When Queen left Harbaugh for Tomlin, it raised the question - which coach does he actually prefer?
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Patrick Queen and Mike Tomlin on the sideline during the 2024 season.
On a recent episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, the defensive lineman put Queen on the spot and asked him to pick between the two.
"Coach T for sure," Queen said. "It's like two different people, but I definitely got a love for both of them; but Coach T is more like, 'How's your family' and the small things that are big to us, and every single day is like that."
That’s about as honest of an answer as you’ll get from a player. Queen clearly respects Harbaugh, but it’s no surprise he’s enjoying life with Tomlin. Players have said for years that Tomlin is different. Tomlin is a player's coach. He connects with his guys, not just as football players, but as people. Whether you love or hate his style, the reality is that players want to play for him. Players have become so comfortable with Tomlin as a coach, they can joke with one another day in and day out.
"It's kinda fun to be able to throw jabs back and forth," Queen said. "He never puts lotion on before practice. He's always ashy. He always wear the same hoodie, the same shirt, same sunglasses everyday."
Tomlin certainly has his signature coaching style, as well as his signature swag on the sidelines.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin roams the practice field as his team works out during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers' Patrick Queen Not The First Player To Play For Both Steelers And Ravens
Queen is the most recent example of player to play for both Baltimore and Pittsburgh. When you think of defensive players who have donned both uniforms, Rod Woodson is the first one to come to mind. Carnell Lake spent the 2001 season with the Ravens after 10 seasons in Pittsburgh. In recent years, DeShon Elliott played for Baltimore before spending two years in Miami then signing with Pittsburgh.
LJ Fort was mainly a special teams and backup linebacker for the Steelers in the late 2010s before becoming a starter in Baltimore. The late Jacoby Jones played for the Steelers in 2015 after a memorable three seasons with the Ravens. In maybe the most forgettable instance, Le'Veon Bell played five games for the Ravens in 2021 after being the Steelers' star running back from 2013-2017.
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