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Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen found a new home on Tuesday in NFL free agency.
Interestingly enough, that home was with the bitter AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers (and not the Seattle Seahawks).
That alone would be intriguing, but what makes the story more interesting is an old video that resurfaced which showed Queen discussing the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin.
Ravens ILB Patrick Queen said the matchup vs. the Steelers is “something personal.”
As a rookie in Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin yelled, “You’re not a Raven. You’re not supposed to be there.” Queen said he doesn’t care if Tomlin was joking.
(via @Ravens) pic.twitter.com/uAGU3jtGJl
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) October 4, 2023
The video is from October of 2023 and shows Queen talking about an upcoming game against Pittsburgh.
“When I was on their sideline my rookie year, Mike Tomlin was looking at me, yelling at me ‘you’re not a Raven. You’re not a Raven. You (sp) not supposed to be there. You not one them,'” Queen said. “So every time I play them it’s something personal.
“…I don’t care if he was joking. I don’t care if he was serious. At the end of the day, I’m on your sideline. You telling me I’m not a Raven is kind of disrespectful.”
Clearly, Queen didn’t take the disrespect too badly.
Baltimore in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft out of LSU. He developed into one of the league’s top outside linebackers and made his first Pro Bowl for the Ravens this past season.
Now, however, he’ll take the short trip up to Pittsburgh and play on the other side of one of the league’s top rivalries.
Baltimore players, including top stars Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey, didn’t take the news all that well.
“Dad, didn’t you play with @Patrickqueen_ in Baltimore?” https://t.co/IhSNJEAiDS pic.twitter.com/pkflDn6l8S
— Kyle Hamilton (@kyledhamilton_) March 12, 2024
The combination of this high altitude atmosphere I’m in and what PQ just did has my chest hurting.
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) March 12, 2024
Neither did Ravens fans, who quickly turned to calling Queen as “traitor” as well as several other names.
It just adds fuel to the fire of what has been a decades-long battle of two of the NFL’s top organizations. When you throw in the emerging Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals with a (hopefully) healthy Joe Burrow, the AFC North may just be the top division in all of football.