Star Defender on His Last Leg With Steelers

For now, it appears Patrick Queen will remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2026 season.

At the beginning of the legal tampering period, the Dallas Cowboys seemingly made a strong push to land Queen via trade from the Steelers, but those discussions ultimately didn't go anywhere.

A deal likely isn't completely out of the realm of possibility, but a third-straight season of Queen and Payton Wilson as Pittsburgh's starting duo at inside linebacker is on the horizon.

At this point, the question is whether or not 2026 will be Queen's last dance with the Steelers, or if he can play himself into another contract with the team after his current one runs out.

Dec 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) reacts after a defensive stop against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Queen's Performance in Pittsburgh

A first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2020 NFL Draft after winning a national title at LSU, Queen spent the first four years of his career as a direct rival of the Steelers in the AFC North.

After reaching free agency, though, he switched allegiances and headed to Pittsburgh as the team's new anchor in the middle of the defense.

Queen took over the "green dot" duties, meaning he received the play call in his helmet, during his first campaign with the Steelers in 2024 and led them in tackles with 129, resulting in a Pro Bowl nod, but he also found himself in the center of a defensive unit that declined significantly as the regular season went along amidst reported communication issues.

Looking to rebound from that rough finish, which resulted in a five-game losing streak, Queen once again had the "green dot", but he was inconsistent throughout the 2025 campaign and finished with 32 missed tackles per Pro Football Focus, which was the most in the league.

Is There Any Chance of Queen Staying with the Steelers After 2026?

For what's it worth, it does seem like head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, as well as general manager Omar Khan, have a pretty positive opinion of Queen considering he wasn't traded to Dallas last month combined with the fact that the Steelers didn't cut him before his $2.5 million roster bonus for 2026 was guaranteed.

Again, that's not to say a trade can't or won't happen this offseason, but unless Pittsburgh feels confident in slotting in a Day 2 rookie next to Wilson, Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison instead of Queen, the latter will be sticking around.

Given his rather unremarkable level of play, however, it's hard to imagine the Steelers being willing to bring him back in 2027. Queen is still in his prime at 26-years-old, but time is running out for him to prove himself in the black and gold regardless.

A new system under Graham could potentially aid his plans of bouncing back, but if he doesn't, he'll likely end up elsewhere after this upcoming season.

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