The Steelers lured linebacker Patrick Queen from the Ravens in free agency. They apparently didn’t do it by making Queen the best financial offer.
In a recent appearance with Steelers_DB, Queen said he turned down more money elsewhere to sign with the Steelers.
“From all the 15 teams that I was talking to, it came down to like five at the end,” Queen said, via NFL.com. “It was just like five teams in the mix. Some of them were offering some $17 [million per year]. After that it was like, I have a chance to either go win or I have a chance to get paid. For me, the difference was like $4 or $5 million. I’m looking at it like, I’ve never been on a losing team before, and then I also don’t want to be a part of anything being rebuilt because I’m trying to win now. . . . I’m really just trying to win right now, get that out the way and then get paid later.”
Queen signed a three-year, $41 million deal with the Steelers. The first year, at $13.84 million, is fully guaranteed at signing.
The deal has no guarantees beyond 2024. Instead, there’s an early roster bonus in 2025 ($6.67 million) and 2026 ($2.5 million) to force the Steelers to make a decision on whether to extend the relationship.
So it’s basically a one-year deal with a team-held option for 2025 and then 2026. Which means, frankly, a one-year deal would have been better. Especially if the Steelers win a Super Bowl this year. Then, Queen could have gotten paid as soon as next year.
